


Sunshine

by redninjalass19



Category: Naruto
Genre: All these characters will appear at some point, Attempt at Humor, BAMF Uzumaki Naruto, Best Friends, Canon-Typical Violence, Chronic Illness, Developing Friendships, Disability, Domestic Fluff, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Romance, Explicit Language, F/F, F/M, Family Feels, Friendship, Fuuinjutsu Master Uzumaki Naruto, Gen, Growing Up, M/M, Older Uzumaki Naruto, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Abuse, Pre-Canon, Uchiha Massacre, Uzumaki Naruto has a Brother, Uzumaki Naruto is a Chakra Sensor, Uzumaki Naruto is a Good Friend, Uzumaki Naruto is trying his best, eventually
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-16
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:33:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 95,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24222112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/redninjalass19/pseuds/redninjalass19
Summary: Naruto was only three when he became an orphan, his newborn brother became the container for the Kyuubi and he lost everything he'd ever known.This doesn't stop him from fighting to not only protect his brother but the new family he builds along the way.Even if it kills him.
Relationships: Akimichi Chouji & Nara Shikamaru, Hatake Kakashi & Maito Gai | Might Guy, Hatake Kakashi & Uzumaki Naruto, Inuzuka Hana & Original Character(s), Inuzuka Hana & Three Haimaru Brothers, Inuzuka Kiba & Original Character(s), Namiashi Raidou & Shiranui Genma, Sarutobi Hiruzen & Uzumaki Naruto, Shiranui Genma & Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke & Uzumaki Naruto, Uzumaki Naruto & Inuzuka Hana, Uzumaki Naruto & Original Character(s)
Comments: 42
Kudos: 229





	1. Sacrifices

**Author's Note:**

> Hi All! 
> 
> I usually post on Fanfiction.net but I love to read Ao3 works so I decided to post on here too! You can catch me at the same username on Fanfiction.net, I've got a couple stories on there and I'm hoping by posting this one (that I've had lurking on my computer for like 2 years) that will jump start me into updating the one I'm meant to be updating.
> 
> Hope you all enjoy this and I'll be editing the next few chapters so feel free to let me know what you think!

Fires burned and raged across the village, razing down homes and consuming already damaged structures. The flames created dancing shadows, as if demons were flying down the street, leaving horror in their wake. The sounds of fear pierced the air, blending in with the cries of those dying. The smell of the smoke and the mutilated corpses left in the wake of the attack suffocated the small, blonde child as he ran towards the source of the destruction.

A monster stood over the village, its massive features filling the sky as its blood red eyes glowed with hatred. A flick of its tails tore down another section of buildings at it roared at the shinobi who attempted to bring it down.

None of this mattered to the young boy as his tiny legs carried him towards the giant fox. The only thoughts that crossed his mind were those of his parents, who he knew had to be near. Fear thundered through his veins, making his tiny heart beat faster. He looked up as a giant toad landed on top of the fox and he searched for the summoner. He caught a glimpse of yellow on the head of the giant toad and the sick feeling in his gut faded slightly. His father was alive.

The monster thrashed beneath the toad, knocking against another collection of buildings. Unfortunately, they were much closer to the child than the previous ones and some of the rumble struck him, the toxic red chakra washing over him as it flared with the movement of the demon.

He lay on the ground, his left arm screaming in pain and the right side of his face feeling unbearable hot and raw. The pain was excruciating. His entire body rebelled, as he felt every cut and bruise inflicted with brutal focus. He cried out, tears filling his eyes as he felt the worst he had ever endured in his short life. The fear and pain overwhelmed him, pulsing within his ears and his breaths were ragged and short. As his eyes slid shut, he caught a flash of silver in his vision.

Then everything went black.

* * *

Hiruzen strode through the hospital, listening to the howls of pain and dying from those caught in the Kyūbi’s attack. He tried not to think of the list of dead that would be drawn up, and the funeral that would follow. Since he had retaken his position of Hokage, the matters requiring his attention had piled up. The death of the Yondaime had been unexpected and there had been no successor lined up to take up the post. Yet Konoha needed a leader.

He could hear Jiraiya’s steps behind him and knew if he turned to look, he would see the same weary, pained expression that had settled on his face since the news of the death of Minato and Kushina had reached them.

He stopped at one of the doors. How was he to face the man’s son?

He took a deep breath and opened the door, stepping inside with Jiraiya closing the door behind them. He scanned the room his eyes resting on the young boy in the bed.

His once bright golden hair was now dull and flat and the sole blue eye that once matched clear blue skies now looked at Sarutobi, dulled and pained, sorrow spilling from them. He was skeletal and his left arm was completely wrapped in bandages up to his shoulder. The entirety of the left side of his face was also covered.

Paired with the multiple scratches and bruises, he looked as though he had been through hell and back, which was not that far off.

“Naruto-chan, you were very lucky today,” Hiruzen started, wincing at the glare he received in return.

“If you had been struck even slightly closer to your eye you would have lost it. The medics also managed to save your arm, but you will have trouble using it in the future,” he continued, the young boy refusing to waver.

Jiraiya stepped forward, his face somber, with the beginnings of anger colouring his features. Hiruzen had never seen Jiraiya more distressed than when news of Minato had reached them, and then when they had found out what had happened to his son…

“What were you thinking? You were supposed to be in a safe zone with Kakashi but we find you within range of the Kyūbi itself? Why Naruto, why did you get yourself hurt?” Jiraiya burst out, releasing the tide of worry he had been holding since he had heard his godson was in the hospital.

Naruto looked down, a shadow of guilt crossing his face.

“I wanted to see Kaa-chan. If the bad monster was there, it’s not with her, which’s bad,” Naruto mumbled, his high voice quiet, the opposite of the loud, bright boy from before the attack.

Jiraiya sighed and rubbed his eyes.

“How do you know about the fox and your mother?” Hiruzen interrupted, curiosity bothering him despite himself.

“Monster feels mean and red. Kaa-chan has that in her tummy.”

Hiruzen’s brows rose in surprise. He had not known the boy was a sensor, especially this young. His demeanor slumped again as he gazed at the boy before him.

“I’m sorry, Naruto,” was all he could offer the child.

The young boy dropped his gaze as Jiraiya sat beside him, putting an arm gently around him. He then looked towards the crib next to his bed.

Hiruzen walked over to the crib, looking at the baby wrapped in blue blankets. A tuft of yellow hair was on top of his head, and he knew if the newborn were to open his eyes, they would be same unique shade of violet his mother had had. He was missing the whisker marks on his cheeks that Naruto was known in the village for. That would make things easier.

“Did you hear your parents discuss a name?” Hiruzen watched the older boy edge closer to the crib.

With Minato gone there would be more risk for these two from Iwa and Konoha’s other enemies. The newborn would be safer as most did not know Kushina was pregnant again, but Naruto was well known throughout the village.

The Yondaime’s bundle of sunshine.

If the fact that Naruto’s brother now housed the Kyūbi was also taken into account; both needed to be protected but the best protection the Sandaime could think of would hurt Naruto even more so.

“Think they did, but I only heard one.”

“Well?” Jiraiya prompted, coming to sit next to the crib.

“Norio,” Naruto replied, reaching down with his working arm, resting it on top of the newborn’s head gently.

“Man of Principles. It’s a good name,” Jiraiya smiled sadly.

“Naruto, we have something to talk to you about,” Hiruzen looked into a sole blue eye that now looked far too old to belong to a three year old. No child should have to go through what he did today.

Naruto retracted his hand and looked towards his grandfather figure.

* * *

Naruto had never been in this much pain in his life. He had broken his arm once when he got too excited at the playground, but right now his body ached.

But that was nothing compared to the pain in his heart.

Though he was young, he was the son of ninja, so death had been always been a part of his life. But now he knew he would never see the bright laughing face of his Tou-chan nor feel Kaa-chan hugging him before bed; it became so much more real.

Everything was fuzzy after he had woken up not long ago, but he couldn’t feel his parents anymore. He knew what that meant.

As Jiji caught his attention, he kept glancing to the tiny bundle in the bed next to him. The last tie to his parents he had. He had the same mean red feeling in his tummy as Kaa-chan but the rest of him felt like Tou-chan; a calm, blue feeling.

“Naruto-chan, now your father is gone, bad men may come after you and Norio. Norio now has the fox in him like your mother, which means he could be in even more danger. Now we have an idea to protect you but it will be hard,” Jiji explained, peering down at Naruto.

Naruto switched his gaze to really look at the infant. He was the only family left, the only other Namikaze.

“Okay. If it helps Rio,” Naruto mumbled, feeling a strange resolve strengthen in his gut. He would protect his brother.

He kept his eyes on Rio as his godfather started unsealing supplies.

“We’re going to change both of your names to Uzumaki, your mother’s maiden name. This will keep your father’s enemies away from you somewhat. Norio-chan will be fine as he has enough of your mother in him to throw off others.”

“You, Naruto-chan, are already known throughout Konoha. So we need to alter how you look. Jiraiya has a seal that will connect to your chakra so it’ll always be active and this will change your hair colour. The wound on your face will leave a scar so that will change your face but we need to hide the whisker marks with the seal too,” Jiraiya finished.

“You must not let anyone find out who you are. Kakashi will be informed but we are the only ones who will know,” Jiji added.

Naruto digest these words. He had to abandon Tou-chan’s name. He had already lost his family today but now he had to give up who he was? He looked the tiny bundle. This might be the only way he could stay with his brother.

Naruto nodded, though he made one request.

“Red, like Kaa-chan; since Rio looks like Tou-chan.”

Jiji nodded, glancing at his godfather.

As Jiraiya prepared the seal, Jiji looked sadly at the two brothers. Namikaze Naruto perished in the Kyūbi attack alongside his parents; but Uzumaki Naruto and his newborn brother, Norio, were newly orphaned and innocent of any of the events of that day.


	2. Two Years Later

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Naruto tries to escape the orphanage and meets an emo in the local park

“We want to move out the orphanage.”

The Hokage looked up from the mission reports to meet a pair of determined blue eyes. The boy in front of his desk folded his arms, meeting the old leader’s gaze evenly.

Red hair had grown to his shoulders over the past two years and it was starting to straighten, much like his mother’s had been. The twisted pink scar on his young face stretched from his left temple to his chin, scoring straight through his cheek and just missing his eye; it had healed well though it made him appear older than his meager five years.

An orange t-shirt accompanied black shorts and sandals, and the entirety of his left arm was tied up in bandages as it had been since the Kyūbi attack.

“Hello, Naruto-kun. How are you today? Where’s Norio-chan?” Hiruzen greeted, placing down the papers and clasping his hands in front of him.

“Rio is outside the office talking the ears off the ANBU and I’m serious, Jiji, we want out.” His gaze never wavered.

“Who is the ‘we’? Norio-chan is barely two so I do not think it was his idea,” Sarutobi pointed out.

He watched the boy shift slightly on his feet. Despite being smaller than the average five year old, Naruto had the presence of an older child. The years since his parents’ death had taken a toll on the young boy. From the reports handed in by the shinobi watching them, Naruto barely left his brother’s side and watched anyone that went near the younger Uzumaki carefully.

“The people at that place obviously don’t like Rio or me, the kids have been told to stay away from us yet they keep taking our stuff,” Naruto ranted, just barely stopping himself from stomping his foot, appearing to remember that he was supposed to be mature.

The Hokage looked at the boy.

“Rio doesn’t really like it either. I know it,” he added.

The Hokage raised an eyebrow.

“You are five, Naruto. You cannot look after yourself and your brother,” he said firmly.

The redhead sighed, groaning and sat himself down in one of the chairs opposite the desk.

“What if I became a genin? That would make me an adult and Kashi sort of keeps an eye on us anyway,” Naruto compromised, looking at his grandfather figure.

Hiruzen sighed and glanced at Minato’s picture on the wall. What would the man think about his son now? Gone was the bundle of energy from his infancy, replaced by an attitude far beyond his years. The boy had had to mature far too fast; he could hope that the younger son did not fall to the same fate. He had a feeling though that Naruto had grown up for Norio, to protect the only family he had left. Kakashi helped out however he could but he was caught up in his ANBU duties.

“Okay, you have a deal. You and Norio-chan can move out into an apartment when you become a genin. For now, though, you will stay at the orphanage and behave,” Sarutobi nodded, leaning back in his seat.

“Can I join the academy, then? You keep saying no ‘cause my arm has to heal, but it really is as good as it’s gonna get,” Naruto asked, rubbing the bandages.

The Hokage frowned, thinking about the risks. The rubble that hit Naruto that night had caused some serious damage, the flare of the fox’s chakra disrupting the chakra network and tenketsu points. It was unlikely he would be able to channel chakra through his arm without pain and difficulty.

“Are you sure about this Naruto? You are always going to be at a disadvantage with that injury and there are other careers-” Hiruzen started.

“No, Jiji,” Naruto interrupted. “I will be a ninja, just like Tou-san and Kaa-chan. I will protect Rio and I am going to be a shinobi doing it.”

Hiruzen heaved a sigh, and got up from his desk. Moving over to one of the bookshelves he browsed before pulling a volume from the second shelf, checking the title before handing it over to Naruto. The boy took it and read the cover.

“Chakra for Novices,” he read out, glancing up as Hiruzen retook his seat.

“I know your father was starting to teach you to read and Kakashi continued it. If you need any help, feel free to come to my office any time. It would be better if you understood chakra before using it so you can try avoiding channeling it through your left arm,” the old man explained, smiling at the boy. “On that subject, how are your sensing abilities coming along?”

He had already had the report from the ANBU he had assigned to teach the boy the basics. Naruto had exceptional talent for his age in this area and if he did succeed with his path as a shinobi, he would be one of the few valuable sensors Konoha had.

Naruto giggled sheepishly, scratching the back of his head.

“I can’t really switch it off; but my range is way better now.”

“Still, Naruto-kun, you need to give your brain a rest every so often. Neko has been giving you some instruction with using it but normally most do not learn to hone it until they are at least chunin,” reminded Sarutobi gently. “Either way, you start the academy two weeks tomorrow, when the new term starts.”

Naruto ran his hand over the cover of his book and flipped through the pages, wonder lighting his eyes. He grinned as he looked up at his Jiji, tucking the book into his side.

“Don’t worry Jiji. I am going to made you and Rio and my parents proud, dattebayo!”

“Now that is settled, you can bring Norio-chan into the office,” Sarutobi smiled, watching as the redhead opened the door, beckoning a small blond child into the room.

The Hokage could have sworn he heard the ANBU at his door let out a sigh of relief as the boisterous Uzumaki bade them goodbye and followed his brother into the office. Norio had the short, uncontrollable spikes of blond that Naruto had had at his age, but he inherited the violet eyes and round cheeks from his mother.

He wore a green t-shirt with black shorts and sandals, gripping a brown toy dog in his small arms. Inu-chan - a gift from his godfather, Kakashi, for his first birthday.

“Hi Jiji!” Norio chirped, lunging into the arms Hiruzen had opened for him.

Sarutobi hugged the young boy, turning him to sit on his lap when he let go.

“Hello Norio-chan, what have you been up to today?” He grinned at the sight of violet eyes sparkling at him. He had no biological grandchildren yet, but he considered these two family in all but blood.

“We had breakfast and was icky then Nii-san added red stuff, think was fruit, then was nice and then we go to the park and I play on the swings and I got really high and then I coloured lots of pictures while Nii-san read boring stuff, then see you,” the young boy gushed, barely pausing to take a breath during his account.

Sarutobi glanced up at the other boy, spotting the fond gaze that he directed at his brother.

“C’mon Sunshine, let’s leave Jiji to finish his work. We can go find something to eat with the money Kashi gave us before he left.” Naruto held out a hand for the toddler.

Norio bobbed his head and gave Hiruzen another quick hug before bouncing off his lap and bounding over to Naruto, taking his hand. The pair headed over to the door, the younger waving while Naruto adjusted the book under his arm.

“Bye Jiji,” chorused the boys, closing the door behind them.

An interesting nickname for the blonde child, beyond his already shortened name; it fit well.

Hiruzen shook his head good naturedly, bringing his pipe out from a drawer in his desk. Lighting it he took a few puffs while spinning his chair to gaze out the window behind him, gazing up at the stone face of his old successor.

Those two would certainly be interesting as they grew up.

* * *

The duo walked down the main street, the younger of the two pointing out everything that caught his eye. Naruto nodded as Rio pointed out a particularly bright flyer as he scanned the crowd, glaring fiercely at the odd villager that gave Rio a dirty look.

Naruto stopped and looked behind him, trying to spot the man to match the chakra signature. Rio glanced up at the redhead, his young face scrunching up in confusion.

“Nii-san?” he asked, tugging on his brother’s hand.

Naruto grinned as he spotted the silver hair through the crowd. He crouched beside the toddler, pointing out the masked man walking towards them.

“Look who’s home,” Naruto whispered, watching Rio’s face light up as he spotted his godfather.

“Kashi!” the blond screamed, launching himself at the approaching teenager.

Kakashi laughed as he caught the squealing toddler, settling him into the crook of his arm. Though the masked covered the lower part of his face, Naruto could not only see the twinkle in his sole grey eye but he could almost sense the happiness coming from the teen.

“Hey Rio, did you miss me?” Kakashi asked, arranging the dog toy so the little boy couldn’t accidently drop it.

“Yeah, loads and loads. It’s way more fun when you are home, are you going to show me new ninja stuff?” Rio blurted out, adoring eyes trained on him.

Kakashi ruffled the blond mess, looking at the older brother in front of him. Naruto had grown so much since Minato-sensei died and not in the way Sensei would have wanted. The younger Uzumaki reminded him so much of how Naruto used to be, inheriting their mother’s boisterous energy. The elder now reminded him of Minato-sensei, with a calm demeanor and piercing gaze.

“Now, Rio, I am sure it is just as fun with your Nii-san as it is with me.”

“Nii-san is the best, but he’s boring. He doesn’t do any of the cool tricks,” Rio replied, his innocence shielding him from spotting the downcast look on his brother’s face.

Kakashi saw it however and looked down at the redhead, watching him absently rub the bandages on his arm.

“What do you say we go get some dinner? I know the best place in the whole of Konoha,” Kakashi grinned, chuckling as he got the same bright expression from both the boys.

“C’mon.”

Kakashi led the way down the street, holding Rio in his arms as Naruto walked beside him. He nodded along to Rio as he glanced at Naruto, noting the boy glaring at certain villagers as they walked by. They reached their destination and Kakashi sat on one of the stools, placing Rio on the one on his right. Naruto climbed onto a seat of his own beside his brother.

“Kakashi, it’s been a while, and who are these fine boys you have with you?” The old ramen chef came over to lean on the counter.

Teuchi recognized the silver-haired youth from when Minato and Kushina had dragged him in for meals. He smiled sadly at the memories of the happy young couple who were always laughing and smiling when they came into the stall. Their young son took after them, but the whole family had died during the Kyūbi attack.

He watched the younger boy trying to take everything in, his head turning all over the place. The shade of his hair reminded him of Minato and young Naruto. The redhead beside him opened the book he carried with him and began to read.

“They are Uzumaki Naruto and his brother, Norio. I have a feeling they are going to become excellent customers of yours,” said Kakashi

The ramen chef looked sharply at the shinobi.

“Naruto?” he asked hoarsely, looking the young blond boy. The hair was right but the whiskers and blue eyes were absent.

Kakashi pointed to the redhead who had glanced up at Teuchi, a frown on his young face. Teuchi was taken aback at the sight of the thick, shining scar running down the boy’s face.

“That’s Naruto. I think the name became more popular since the Fourth Hokage’s late son… well…” he trailed off, looking down at the counter in front of him.

Teuchi’s expression softened, nodding in understanding. It must be hard for the teen to lose his sensei, though those two young boys looked like they were helping the boy work through it. He could see Kakashi’s mood lifting as he was distracted by the toddler pulling his sleeve.

“Kashi, I smell ramen,” Rio pouted, looking up at his godfather.

“That’s because this place sells the best ramen in all of Konoha,” Kakashi eye-smiled, the look on the toddler’s face reminding him of Kushina.

He looked at the older boy next to him and frowned as he watched the boy read. Kakashi remembered when his parents had taken him here for the first time; Kushina had managed to drag Minato-sensei out of his office and they decided on ramen for lunch. The boy had been beyond delighted when he found out where his parents had taken him, inheriting the obsession with ramen his parents shared.

Now though, he didn’t even greet the old ramen chef nor look up from his book. Naruto was nothing like the boy before the attack. It helped to keep the village from realizing it wasn’t just his name he had in common with the late Hokage’s son; even when they looked at him, they just saw the scar and the red hair. Everyone assumed that the redhead had adopted the young blond in the orphanage, though the fact that Rio shared some features with the Yondaime’s ‘late’ son did not help matters.

“So what do you guys want? I’ll have a beef ramen,” Kakashi said.

“Miso ramen please!” Rio chirped, bouncing in his seat.

“Miso, thanks,” Naruto added, not looking up from his book.

“One beef and two miso. Coming right up,” Teuchi announced, gathering the ingredients and starting to chop the vegetables.

Soon the stand was filled with the sounds and smells of cooking ramen and Rio chattered on, curious about what the chef was doing. Kakashi looked over the blond head to look at Naruto, who merely turned a page.

“So what you got there, Naruto?”

Naruto looked up at the teen, his blue eyes slightly unfocussed.

“A book on chakra; Jiji gave to me today when he agreed to let me join the academy,” Naruto answered, smiling softly as his grip on the book tightened.

Kakashi grinned, knowing how much the boy wanted to start his shinobi training. He had been reading and preparing but he could only so far on his own. He had been trying to help the boy but with his ANBU duties he was only available to see the boys for a short time once every few months. He couldn’t help but feel a pang of worry as he glanced at Naruto’s arm. There had been a lot of damage done; the boy could further injure the limb.

“Kashi, I’ll be fine. I know my arm better than anyone and I know I can handle this.”

Kakashi looked at Naruto’s eyes, his blue gaze firm. He reached over and ruffled the red hair, chuckling as Naruto shot him a dirty look while smoothing it back down.

“I know, and if you need any help I will find a way to give it,” Kakashi promised.

Naruto finally smiled a true smile and Kakashi returned it as best he could. Ever since Minato and Kushina had died the trio had stuck together, although Kakashi knew that those long months away would eventually take a toll on the young boys. It had already started with Naruto, the redhead already distant, but Kakashi hoped that it could change.

“Here we go; one beef and two miso,” Teuchi announced, sliding the bowls towards their respective customer.

Rio leaned over and grabbed his bowl, his violet eyes sparkling.

“Thanks, old man,” he chirped, immediately digging into it.

Kakashi smirked; even Naruto had quickly put down his book to eat. Thankfully, not all things had changed.

* * *

Naruto turned a page in his book as he kept part of his mind on sensing his brother, who was playing in one of the sandboxes in the park. It was a habit more than anything now; to sense everything in his immediate area with a focus on Rio. It was draining, but he had come a long way in two years; he couldn’t really switch it off anymore, he couldn’t handle not knowing where Rio was or if there was anyone nearby.

Kashi had had to finish his mission report but he left the stand with a promise that he would swing round to the orphanage the next morning to pick them up to spend the day together before he was sent away again. Rio was ecstatic, with Kakashi being one of his favourite adults in the village. The limited days that Kakashi managed to see them were amazing, but they were far and few between nowadays, with the teen being sent on longer missions.

The book Jiji had given him captured the rest of his attention; the notes on how to control his chakra peaking his interest. The better his control was, the better he would be able to handle the jutsu at the academy; or at least that’s what he hoped.

First step though would be the leaf exercise and he could start that soon; tomorrow he would ask Kashi to go through some of this book with him since there were words and phrases he didn’t understand.

His head popped up and he closed his book, tucking it under his arm as he darted towards his brother, sensing something wrong from the toddler. He had noticed the glares that most of the villagers directed at Rio whenever they were in the village; sure, his brother housed the fox but he was no more influenced than their Kaa-chan had been. By extension, he was hated too since they were related, but Naruto refused to let it get to him.

Naruto quickly noted the small chakra signature next to his brother and the genin-sized one close to them. He matched them up to the two figures he spotted next to the blond; both dark-haired with a fan symbol scattered throughout their clothing. He walked up to his brother, noting the glares the two young boys were directing towards each other.

“Everything okay, Sunshine?” Naruto spoke up, glancing warily at the Uchiha as he walked up to the group.

The older boy had a blank expression on his face, his dark eyes unreadable. Two long vertical troughs ran beneath his eyes and his black hair was pulled back into a low ponytail. His chakra was calm and larger than Naruto normally sensed from the other kids.

“The pair of them knocked heads while playing in the sandbox. I think they are more annoyed than anything,” the Uchiha explained.

Naruto spotted the hitae-ate on his forehead.

“You’re a shinobi? You can’t be that much older than me,” Naruto frowned.

“I just recently graduated. My name is Uchiha Itachi and this is my brother, Sasuke. You are aiming to become a shinobi?” Itachi inquired, nodding his head toward at the book tucked underneath Naruto’s arm.

“Yeah, I start the academy in a couple weeks. I’m Uzumaki Naruto and this is Rio, my brother,” Naruto replied.

He watched at the Uchiha’s eyes flickered between them, probably joining the villagers in the thoughts that the pair had met in the early days following the Kyūbi attack, rather than being blood-related. It made sense, since the pair looked nothing alike but Naruto didn’t really care. All that mattered was that Rio knew they were brothers by blood.

He knelt down next to Rio and turned the toddler’s head towards him, looking at the red mark on his forehead.

“It hurts, Nii-san,” Rio whimpered, shooting another glare at the boy with a matching mark.

“It was an accident, Rio, he didn’t mean it,” Naruto softly chided, hugging him.

Naruto pulled back, smiling at his brother.

“Now, let’s make up with Sasuke and go and get ready for bed. The matron will be wondering where we are by now,” He didn’t think that the matron would really be that bothered, but it was close to Rio’s bedtime anyway.

Rio shot his brother a betrayed look, glancing at the other boy.

“Rio.”

The young boy frowned and turned towards Sasuke, sticking out his hand. Sasuke looked down at the hand and glanced back at Itachi. The older boy merely raised an eyebrow, giving his brother a look. The smaller ravenette sighed and grabbed Rio’s hand with his own shaking it once and immediately letting go.

“It was nice meeting you guys. We might see you around,” Naruto grinned, standing and holding on to one of Rio’s hands.

“Yes, Uzumaki-san. I wish you luck with the academy,” Itachi replied, watching the pair turn to leave. He looked down at Sasuke and started to lead him back to their compound.

Naruto glanced down at Rio to see him stick his tongue out at Sasuke the group separated. He had seen the Uchiha clan patrolling the village as part of the police force, but there was something different about Itachi. There was a feeling of ‘something more’ about him.

Anyway, he had to get back to the orphanage before they locked them out. He had figured out ways to get back in ages ago but the matron was never pleased to see them in their beds when she knew they weren’t there for lights out. At the thought Naruto only grew more determined to become a genin as soon as possible and it all began with the academy. 


	3. Is This... Friendship?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Naruto goes to the academy and makes one (1) friend

“Now remember to be good for Jiji, okay? I don’t want to come back to find out that you have been causing trouble for him,” Naruto reminded his brother, kneeling beside the toddler.

He wasn’t sure how many times he had recycled this phrase since they had left the orphanage that morning, but he felt the need to repeat it one more time, his hand fidgeting with straightening out his brother’s clothes. He looked up at the Hokage as a low chuckle reached his ears. He could practically feel the amusement coming from the old man and the hidden guards and he blushed deeply as he rose to his feet.

“I am sure we will be fine, Naruto-kun. Now don’t you have a class to get to?” Jiji prompted, the edges of his mouth twitching.

He couldn’t help his nervousness though; his desire to start his training warred with his reluctance to leave his brother. Logically he knew that the toddler would be the safest in Konoha with not only the Hokage but the ANBU surrounding them, but it was a fear he could not seem to quench.

“Nii-san?”

He looked down at his brother to see a frown and he internally shook himself. Instead he smiled, ruffled Rio’s hair and turned to the door, focusing his sensor abilities so he could keep track of his brother. The further away he was the less control he had; so far he could only sense chakra in a 30 metre radius, but the presence of the excitable, blue chakra soothed him somewhat.

“Be good. I’ll see you later, Sunshine.”

He walked out and was soon out the front doors, now only able to feel the faint familiar warmth of Rio’s untrained chakra. He continued until he reached the academy, Rio’s signature gone, making his way between the new students that were heading to their first class. Naruto could feel the nerves and excitement around him and could feel his own stirring in his gut.

Coming to his class’s doorway, the room was already half-filled and he searched for a quiet corner to settle into. He could feel the stares from the older students as he made his way to the back, the puzzlement and anger directed straight at him. Naruto tried not to think about it and sat at the furthest back window. They were only three years older; it wasn’t that big of a deal.

He felt a weak signature sit beside him; Naruto looked beside him to see a grinning boy staring back at him. A mop of messy brown hair almost covered unusual dark-pink eyes and there was a small scar on his left ear. He wore a long purple shirt paired with a worn, brown leather waistcoat, black trousers and sandals.

“Hi there,” the boy said.

Naruto raised an eyebrow.

“Hi,” Naruto answered hesitantly, the reply almost sounding like question.

“I’m Arai Kazuya and you’re a bit young to be starting the academy. Mind you, I can’t talk since I’m a year younger than the entry age. We gotta stick together against these older kids, right?”

“Uzumaki Naruto,” the redhead supplied, unsure of what exactly was happening.

The only people he really interacted with were Jiji, Kakashi, Rio and occasionally the matron and the librarian when the need arose. He never really talked to anyone outside of that; he was either too busy preparing to be a shinobi or looking after Rio. Most of the village children had been told to stay away from them, so he wasn’t entirely sure how to go about whatever this was.

“So what’s with the scar? And why is your arm bandaged up?” Arai continued, leaning to rest his head on his fist.

“Kyūbi attack; some of the rubble hit me and it didn’t really heal well,” Naruto said slowly, watching the boy.

At the mention of the attack, he could feel Arai’s chakra dim slightly and the once grinning face was replaced by a grimace.

“Yeah, that was a bad day for everyone.”

The two boys looked to the front as they heard the clap of a hand, spotting the chunin instructor. She wore the plain outfit that most of the higher ranks did and her honey-blonde hair paired well with her chocolate brown eyes, but there was a stern line to her features.

“Alright, my name is Aiko-sensei and you will be mine for the next four years. Have a good look around because you are stuck with these people; they may be your teammates and comrades in the future but first, you need to survive this class.”

Naruto jolted when her eyes turned to him and he pulled back his chakra as far as possible as he slouched back into the bench, the weak signatures surrounding him fading as he tried to put Neko’s teachings to use.

“Now, we will begin our morning with physical training and continue the day with history, geography and other subjects that will vary depending on the day of the week. After lunch, we will focus on taijutsu and weapon-handling before finishing the day with the shinobi rules and general knowledge you will need to know.”

“This will be your life for the next year, so I suggest you get familiar with it quickly. Any questions?” she finished, surveying the new students.

A hand rose in the air and the class collectively looked at the Uchiha, his pale features firm.

“What about chakra?” he asked, the class turning back to look at their sensei.

The chunin looked carefully around the room, her sharp gaze causing some to join Naruto in his poor attempt to sink into his seat.

“Chakra will not be discussed nor taught until second year; first we need to ingrain the basics into you so it will become instinct. Not only that, but you need to have a decent level of fitness to use chakra to any extent so most of you will not be ready until then. Those from clans will be the exception to this and you are free to work on it at home, however, everyone here will follow the same timetable. Any other questions?”

No one moved.

“Good, now everyone outside to start their two laps around the playground. Go!” Aiko-sensei ordered, leading the children out the door.

Naruto and Arai stood to follow, last to exit the room.

“She’s kind of intense, right?” Arai spoke up, walking alongside Naruto with his arms behind his head.

“Yeah, plus it sucks that we can’t really train in chakra for another year,” Naruto replied sullenly.

The leaf exercise he had started two weeks ago was becoming second nature to him; he could now control up to four leaves with his chakra, keeping them attached to his skin. There were places on his body that was easier to do so than others, and after some research and pestering of Kashi he learned these were his tenketsu points. He knew he had a long while to go before he could move onto rocks but it seemed that he would have to continue practicing on his own. Books were a good source about learning shinobi techniques, but he still got stuck on too many words for his liking and he had always preferred learning hands on.

“I heard there was a kid that just graduated who’s only a couple years older than us. So maybe the academy can’t be that hard,” Arai commented quietly, beginning to jog as they left the building.

Naruto picked up his pace until he was beside the older boy. Arai didn’t seem so bad plus he couldn’t detect any underlying dislike from talking to him like he could with other kids; he seemed like he was genuinely hoping they could be friends. It was kind of surreal.

“Well, the faster I’m out of here the better,” Naruto shrugged.

He saw a flicker of confusion cross Arai’s face and felt as though he should explain.

“When I become a genin, me and my brother can move out the orphanage; the sooner the better.”

Understanding washed over the brunet’s features, a shadow briefly appearing in his eyes.

“Yeah, I can’t wait to get away from home either. Four years is way too long.”

Naruto nodded and they both continued to jog. At the end of the laps, the class reentered their room, harsh breathing filling the air. Though he was the youngest and the smallest, Naruto was proud to note that he was not the worst out of the class. Arai was one of the better ones.

Aiko-sensei stood at the front of the class, already turning to write topics on the blackboard behind her.

“Alright then, everyone enjoy that? Get used to it; that kind of thing will be happening every day for the rest of your lives should you graduate. We’ll also be adding stretches as the distance increases. Now, I am going to ask some basic questions to the class to get a feel for the level of knowledge that you all have at this point. Don’t think you can escape by not answering, you’re going to have to learn it anyway.”

Arai nudged Naruto gently, bringing the redhead’s attention to him.

“What do you think crawled up her butt?” he whispered, gaining a small smile from Naruto.

He felt the sensei’s chakra flare slightly and quickly leaned away from the piece of chalk that had been aimed at his head. Arai hadn’t been so lucky and he yelped as the object hit the side of his head. The pair looked to the front to see their sensei glaring at them.

“I do not allow interruptions. Raise your hands if you wish to share anything with the class.”

The two boys shrunk back into their seats. Clapping her hands, Aiko-sensei brought the class’s attention back to her.

“When you answer a question for the first time, say your name first. Who can name any of the five major shinobi villages?” she demanded.

Naruto watched her survey the class, both his hand and Arai’s in the air. There were a few others, none of them really standing out. One brunette girl had three puppies at her feet, with the red markings of the Inuzuka on her face. Her hood was lined with white fur and Naruto couldn’t help but wonder how she coped with the hot Konoha summers.

“You, chatterbox.”

Naruto could feel Arai’s annoyance without even looking at him.

“Arai Kazuya. Sunagakure is one,” he answered glumly.

“Good, not usually the first one to come to mind though. You, next,” Aiko-sensei pointed at the Inuzuka girl.

“Inuzuka Hana. Konohagakure,” she replied, smiling slightly to show her canines.

“You, redhead.”

“Uzumaki Naruto. Iwagakure,” he responded, his face scrunching up as he caught a jolt of surprise and what could have been anger flashing across his sensei’s face.

Aiko-sensei continued to pick hands as she went through the questions, finishing the shinobi villages and continuing onto which country they were located in. Making her way through the names of the previous Hokage, the class were stumbling the more questions were asked. Within five minutes of the start of the questions, the answers were limited to Arai, the Inuzuka and Naruto, with the odd student chiming in.

“Your collective knowledge is pretty good for a beginning class. We will see if you know about the different disciplines before we stop for lunch. Can anyone name one?”

Naruto raised his hand once more, joining Arai’s in the air. Overall, all the questions had been pretty easy so far. Some of them he had read about over the years and others he had picked up from Jiji and Kashi.

“Arai, name one.”

“Genjutsu, using chakra to turn the enemy’s brain against them.” he droned, thoroughly bored.

“Inuzuka.”

“Taijutsu, using different fighting styles to fight hand-to-hand,” she answered, equally bored.

“Aburame.”

“Ninjutsu, using jutsu to fight.”

“Very good, now-”

“Wait, sensei!” Naruto blurted out, nervous as the teacher turned her gaze on him.

“Uzumaki?”

Naruto swallowed; he hadn’t meant to interrupt but it was a reaction he couldn’t help.

“Uh… it’s just that…aren’t there more? Like fūinjutsu?” he mumbled nervously.

He remember it mentioned in one of the chakra books from the library; he had had to get Jiji to explain it to him but once simplified he had absorbed it, even becoming curious about the art.

“At this level, you just need to know about the main three. Do not worry about any of the others,” Aiko-sensei retorted, continuing to explain what would be happening after lunch.

Naruto huffed, plonking his head in his arms, shoving away some of the red locks that had dropped into his face. The academy was not what he wanted it to be at all; it felt like they were limiting his knowledge rather than adding to it. Not only that but the majority of the class couldn’t answer anything, which meant several weeks of boredom while they learnt it. Naruto knew he wasn’t the smartest but this was basic stuff.

When they were dismissed for lunch, he trudged out the class, the excitement he had felt completely gone. He sensed Arai come up beside him, the older boy just as enthused as himself. They made their way to a free spot under one of the trees, sitting and pulling out their respective lunches.

“That stunk,” Arai sighed.

“It did,” Naruto agreed.

Naruto turned his head to the side as he sensed the Inuzuka walking up to them. Up close, she was pretty; dark brown hair pulled into a low ponytail, with two strands framing her face and almost black eyes staring at them. She had red upside down triangles on her cheeks which he’d seen on others around Konoha.

“Can I sit here, Uzumaki, Arai?”

Naruto and Arai exchanged a glance and collectively nodded. She sat, the puppies following her settling themselves around her.

“Don’t call me Arai, just Kazuya is fine,” Kazuya quickly added.

“Same, Naruto is fine.”

“Then call me Hana and these guys are the Haimaru brothers.”

Silence settled around the tree as they tucked into their lunches. Naruto had managed to save an apple from breakfast since the matron wasn’t the lunch giving type and he saw that Kazuya wasn’t much better, with some stale onigiri. Hana was the best off with thick slices of meat and some rice, which she shared with her pups.

* * *

The taijutsu that followed wasn’t much better and the three picked it up quickly. Naruto struggled a bit with his arm being much weaker than the other but even he performed the simple katas correctly before the end. Most of the clan children had already been taught the foundations of taijutsu, but the civilian children were struggling. The weapon-handling was merely the students being taught how to hold the equipment correctly and the lesson on shinobi rules was just an introduction to the code of conduct within the classroom.

The final bell went off and the three exited the academy, thoroughly disappointed. The other children ran to their waiting parents, delighted after their first day. No one was awaiting Naruto, since he had to go collect Rio from Jiji and he noticed that Kazuya too was on his own.

When he had first announced to his parents that he was going to be a ninja, they had both smiled, hugging Naruto and chattering about what they could do to get him ready. They never had been able to teach him anything but the basics of reading and handling toy kunai before they died.

“You too?” Naruto asked, watching Kazuya stare at the other parents.

“Yeah, my uncle’s sure as hell not going to bother,” he responded bitterly.

“Do you wanna hang out with me then? I have to go pick up my brother but you can come,” Naruto suggested, unwilling to leave the older boy on his own. He reminded him of himself too much to do nothing; he was only lucky that he still had Rio.

Naruto could see the emotions twisting on Kazuya’s face before the boy nodded, silently following Naruto to the Hokage Tower. Kazuya’s eyes widened in shock as Naruto greeted the chunin standing by the sides of the door, the boy darting forward and grabbing Naruto’s good arm, yanking him back.

“I thought we were getting your brother. Why are we here?” Kazuya demanded, floods of nerves coming from him.

“Jiji was looking after Rio since I was at the academy; this is where he works,” Naruto explained, giving the older boy a strange look.

Kazuya let go and continued to follow Naruto up through the tower.

“Jiji? I thought you were an orphan?” he remarked, watching Naruto’s shoulders tense.

“He kinda looks out for us and he’s really old so ‘Jiji’ fit. He can’t look after us all the time so we stay in the orphanage and visit him every once in a while.”

Finally, they reached the large oak doors of his office and the secretary let them in, informing the Hokage of their arrival. The pair entered the room and Naruto grinned, holding out his arm as a blond bundle launched himself into his chest. He stepped back slightly at the weight but kept his footing, kneeling down to get a proper hug from the toddler.

“Nii-san!” squealed Rio, gripping as tight as his little arms would allow.

“Hey Sunshine, were you good for Jiji?” Naruto smiled up at the old man.

Sarutobi chuckled, gazing fondly at the two boys.

“He was indeed and he was very helpful today.”

After watching Rio’s head bob up and down in agreement, Naruto glanced up at his friend to find him frozen, staring at the Hokage.

“H-Hokage-sama!” he squeaked, dropping into a low bow.

“Now, who might this be?” chuckled Jiji, raising a brow at Naruto.

“This is Arai Kazuya from the academy. He’s in my class. By the way, Jiji, the academy sucks,” Naruto announced, stilling kneeling next to his brother.

Hiruzen smiled at the young brunet in front of him, attempting to make him feel more at ease, when he frowned at Naruto’s comment.

“In what way?”

Naruto stood, keeping one hand on his brother’s head. Hiruzen noted that the young redhead kept his bandaged arm close to his side, trying to keep it still.

“It was too easy. I mean, sure it was the first day and all, but tell me that _that_ is not going to be the next four years of my life,” Naruto whined, trying to get across how truly awful it had been. He was all for learning how to be a shinobi but they weren’t even talking about chakra yet.

The Hokage sat back in his chair, leveling his chiding gaze at the boy.

“It was only the first day, Naruto-kun. Give it some time and I believe it was not as easy as you are making it out to be.” He glanced pointedly at the boy’s arm.

Naruto shifted uncomfortably, catching a curious look from Kazuya.

“It only hurts ‘cause I moved it so much, I’ll get used to it.”

Jiji sighed defeatedly.

“Very well, Naruto-kun. Remember to go and get it checked out when it becomes too much and there will be no discussion on that matter. Now I have some things to finish up here so why don’t you two go and take Norio-chan for some dinner?”

“Thanks, Jiji. We’ll see you tomorrow,” Naruto yelled behind him, already haven taken his brother’s hand and turned to leave the office.

His arm really wasn’t that bad; it just ached. A lot. Not that he would admit that and risk his chance at becoming a ninja. He would get used to it eventually; he just had to get through this rough patch first. Everyone had aches and pains, right? He didn’t see any of them complaining.

“Nii-san?” he heard and looked down into the violet eyes of his brother.

“Rio?”

“Who’s that? And why were you gone?” the toddler demanded, pointing at Kazuya.

Naruto’s eyes softened at the last question. This was the first day he had really been away from his brother since he was born; he had explained before they arrived at Jiji’s but his brother didn’t have the greatest attention span.

“This is Kazuya; he goes to the academy with me. That’s where I was today, learning to be a ninja like Tou-s…like Kashi,” Naruto caught himself, breathing a small sigh of relief when the toddler missed his slip up.

The young blond didn’t have any memories of Tou-san and Kaa-chan since they had died the day he was born. Naruto couldn’t really talk about them since Rio didn’t really know about them yet, but he still struggled to replace their names with Kashi’s and Jiji’s when talking about some stuff. It wasn’t really a secret between them but Jiji had made him agree to wait until Rio was a bit older for the full story.

“Can I come?” Rio’s eyes were shining at the prospect.

Naruto grinned at his brother, ruffling his hair.

“Not yet, otouto; when you’re older.”

“So...”

Naruto looked up, meeting curious pink eyes.

“The Hokage is your grandfather,” Kazuya stated.

“Yeah… not really but he’s family…” Naruto trailed off, waiting to see where the older boy was going with this.

“The Professor, the longest-standing Hokage, the trainer of the Sannin, is your adopted grandfather.”

Naruto looked at him in surprise; it looked like he wasn’t the only one who had done their research before entering the academy.

“Yeah.”

There was a pause.

The boy then grinned at him, his pink eyes sparking with mirth.

“Not bad, Aka-chan.”

The boy then continued to walk down the corridor, leaving the small redhead standing in place, staring after him. Rio looked up at his brother and tugged on his hand, asking why he had stopped.

“Don’t call me Aka-chan, Pinku-baka!” Naruto bellowed, leading his brother to catch up with his first friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be real with you all, I love Kazuya with all my heart. I really wanted to use him in a story and so here he is! Hope you grow to like him as much as I do!


	4. I Can't Believe You've Done This

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Naruto meets a Responsible Adult and decides that school sucks

_Thunk!_

The kunai lodged into the tree trunk, scuffed and dulled from use. Two more followed, landing on the outer rings of the improvised target and the boy stomped towards them, snatching them and going back to his throwing spot.

“Calm down.”

“I am calm.”

“Obviously.”

Kazuya shot an annoyed look at his young friend and proceeded to throw the kunai, one of them missing the trunk entirely. He growled and stalked over to the redhead, flopping down on the ground next to him and sighing heavily, closing his eyes.

Naruto’s mouth quirked up into a small smirk.

“Shut up, Aka-chan.”

Naruto’s face split into a wide grin. He let the rocks he had been holding on his body drop as stopped regulating his chakra. He stood, shaking off some dirt from his t-shirt and peered down at his friend, offering his good arm.

“Come on, let’s take a break.”

Kazuya opened his eyes and watched Naruto for a moment before grabbing the limb and hauling himself up. After collecting their weapons, the pair set off towards the park where Naruto could sense his brother playing. The pair had grown close since they had met a mere three months before and hung out every day, whether the academy was in session or not.

“Maybe it’s the kunai. I mean, we scavenged them from the training grounds and I’m pretty sure the academy ones are way easier to throw,” Kazuya mused, turning one over in his hands.

“It’s not as if we can just buy new ones,” Naruto pointed out. “I mean, I’ve got no money and your uncle’s an ass.”

Kazuya nodded.

“True, but there’s no harm in looking at some; there’s a cool weapons shop near that dango place that kicked us out last month.”

“Okay,” Naruto agreed, looking in the direction he could sense Rio.

He spotted the youngest Uzumaki playing on one of the swings, the other children giving the blond a wide berth. Naruto’s face dropped slightly at the downcast look on his brother’s face, but immediately plastered a bright smile on his face as he was spotted.

“Hey, Sunshine! Did you have fun?” he grinned, watching Rio make his way to them.

“The others didn’t want to play with me,” Rio mumbled, uncharacteristically quiet.

Naruto gave him a hug, feeling the tiny arms gaining a firm grip.

“It’s okay; they just don’t know you yet. Until you find your real friends you got me, okay?” Naruto murmured softly, trying to reassure the toddler.

It had never bothered him that kids his age had never approached him; he had Rio and his shinobi training kept him far too busy to worry about making friends. Since meeting Kazuya, he cared even less about what others thought of him; he had a friend _and_ a brother, why would he need to get along with everyone?

It bothered Rio though; he was very sociable kid and he must have felt so limited by just having his brother and grandfather to talk to most of the time. Naruto had no doubts that he would make some great friends, despite the parents, but it was taking longer than Rio was happy with.

“You got me too, Rio-chan,” Kazuya added.

The longer the brunet knew the pair, the more he noticed the glares directed at them and the general avoidance from the majority of the civilian population. He had no idea why, as he had found that Rio was the nicest kid ever and Naruto had a great sense of humour even if he was a bit serious at times, but there wasn’t anything that was going to stop him from hanging out with them. The toddler had dubbed him ‘Kazu-nee’, which had kept Naruto snickering for almost a week.

The best parts of his day was when he was hanging with Naruto, since the academy was still the dullest place ever and he wasn’t exactly welcome at his uncle’s.

Naruto shot a grateful look at his friend. Maybe they should start to take Rio training with them; not letting the toddler actually take part but letting him watching at the sides. They could talk to him and include him as much as they could. It would limit the interaction he had with kids his own age but it was better than this.

“Hey, you!”

The trio looked towards the shout and found a kid around Kazuya’s age pointing at the redhead.

“My mom says that you’re a bad kid. Is that why you hang around a monster?”

The kid broke into ugly laughter and Naruto scowled, taking one of the kunai from his pouch and throwing it at the boy. The boy yelped and fell on his ass, scrambling backwards as Naruto stalked towards him, leaving Rio with Kazuya.

“Why don’t you come back up those words, huh?” Naruto demanded, fuming.

The kid managed to climb to his feet and he ran, screaming the word ‘freak’ at him as he faded from sight. Naruto sighed heavily and picked his kunai up, putting it back into his pouch. Making his way back to the other two, he ruffled Rio’s hair, mustering up a tired smile.

“So, Rio, do you wanna come to look at some cool swords and stuff?” Naruto asked, his grin softening as the smile returned to Rio’s face.

“Yeah, Nii-san!” he chirped, grabbing onto Naruto’s good hand.

Naruto made it a point to ignore Kazuya’s gaze boring into him.

The trio made their way to the shops, Rio between them as the older pair glared back at the villagers. Reaching the building, the boys entered, their eyes widening as they took in the wide range of weapons on display.

Naruto only recognized some and could name even less, but they all still looked cool. Reminding Rio not to touch anything, they hunted for the kunai and shuriken section of the shop. Finding it near the counter they looked over the shiny, new weapons, hearts sinking at the price tags.

“Find anything you like?” a voice asked from the counter.

Naruto looked over to match a face to the chakra he had sensed. Warm brown eyes met blue, paired with wavy brown hair speckled with grey. They widened slightly as the man’s gaze stopped on Naruto’s scar, before trailing to stare at his bandaged arm. They then swept over the rest of the group, his gaze lingering slightly on Rio. The toddler looked down, uncomfortable.

Naruto tugged his brother behind him slightly, although he wasn’t getting any sign of disgust or hate from the man. He was used to people staring at them by now, attention being drawn to the scar that disfigured his face or Rio’s well-known features. Didn’t mean he could let his guard down.

“I’m Tenjirou, and don’t worry young man, I have nothing against you or your young brother.”

Naruto relaxed, though he still kept a firm grip on Rio’s hand. The man had nice chakra, even if he didn’t have much of it.

“I’m Naruto, that’s Kazuya and this is Rio.”

“You guys seem a little young to be looking at this kind of thing,” Tenjirou trailed off, the question evident in his tone.

“Aka-chan and I are at the academy. Our practice kunai are rubbish so we thought we would see how much we had to save to get new ones,” Kazuya explained, watching the exchange between his friend and the merchant carefully.

“You two can’t be much older than my daughter,” Tenjirou frowned.

“Pinku-baka is seven and I’m five; plenty old enough,” Naruto retorted.

Tenchi gazed at the group for a moment.

“Let me see the kunai you have.”

Naruto and Kazuya exchanged a look, before handing over the old kunai. As the man examined them, Naruto guided a curious Rio away from some katanas. Kazuya looked as though he was seconds from breaking down into laughter at the sight, while Naruto shot exasperated looks at him.

“A bit of sharpening and cleaning and these could be useful. The overall balance is good and as a whole, they are still intact. Good enough for practice anyway,” Tenjirou announced, handing them back.

Taking two grey blocks from under the counter with a roll of cloth, he set them in front of the two boys. Placing a small bottle of oil next to it he looked into the confused eyes of the boys.

“You don’t really have any shinobi family, do you?”

Naruto and Kazuya shook their heads with Rio quietly watching the exchange, his face screwed up in confusion. Naruto had Jiji and Kashi, but Jiji was always busy and Kashi hadn’t been home for months and even if he was, it wouldn’t be any different. He was on his own. Speaking of Jiji, he’d have to find someone else to watch the blond since the Hokage was reaching his limit of Rio bouncing around the office all day.

“Come back tomorrow after about six and I’ll teach you how to look after your weapons. For now, you split this between you and bring it with you tomorrow. Okay?”

He was met with dumbfounded looks.

“What?” “Why?”

The two boys answered at the same time. Naruto was still having trouble grasping that this stranger was willing to help them, knowing who they were. It could be a trap but he couldn’t sense anything off, no matter how much he honed in on the man.

Kazuya was refusing to believe this was happening. No one just offered help without expecting anything in return. It wasn’t how the world worked.

“I don’t want to see boys barely older than my daughter get killed due to something that’s so easily fixable. If you feel you have to pay me back, some days I’ll borrow you to make deliveries from me or pick things up. Sound fair?”

Naruto looked at Kazuya and the brunet stared back, a silent exchange between them. Rio was still confused, his interest waning as he spotted a silver staff nearby.

“Yeah, it does…” Kazuya trailed off uncertainly.

“Thanks,” Naruto added, wonder colouring his tone at the prospect of learning something so useful.

The three left the shop in various states of thought, the man smiling as he watched them go. There was just something about those three that made him offer his help and it wasn’t just their age. He just couldn’t put his kunai on it.

* * *

The next day, they were at their usual lunch spot, Hana yet to arrive. Naruto hunched into himself as Kazuya turned to him, determination shining in his eyes.

“So what was that yesterday?”

“It happens sometimes, you know that,” Naruto answered awkwardly, hoping the older boy would drop it.

“Why, though? Why do kids like to pick on you? Why do their _mums_ like to pick on you?”

Naruto sighed.

“My name, I guess? They think it stains the memory of the Yondaime’s son for me to share it.”

It wasn’t the whole truth; he was hated for being associated with Rio too and by extension, the Kyūbi. They thought that kid with the Yondaime’s son’s name basically adopting the Kyūbi was the ultimate insult to the late Hokage. It didn’t help that Rio shared some traits with him before he ‘died’, like the blond hair; people _really_ hated that. Thought the Kyūbi was taunting them or some shit like that.

Naruto didn’t really care about all that; the joke’s on them. He just wished that Rio didn’t have to go through any of it, but he was doing everything he could to shield the toddler from that.

“So you’re getting all this shit for being called ‘Naruto’? Just ‘cause the kid that died in the attack was called ‘Naruto’? That sucks ass.”

Naruto shrugged helplessly and tried not to sag in relief as Hana came towards them. Hana flopped down beside the two boys, her three pups resting their heads on her stomach. Stroking their heads in turn, she sighed and turned her gaze to the redhead.

“I don’t know if we can survive the rest of the year,” she groaned.

“I hear ya, Hana,” Kazuya agreed, joining the girl on the ground.

Naruto tucked a strand of hair behind his ear, absentmindedly thinking he should start tying it up. He remained seated, tucking his arm close to his body.

“I overheard some second years talking about the chakra training; apparently they are starting with the leaf exercise,” he mentioned casually.

Kazuya’s head whipped around to stare, sitting up with his mouth open and pink eyes sharp, his brown hair falling slightly over his face.

“You learned that before you started the academy!” he yelled indignantly.

Naruto shrugged, rubbing circles on his arm. He really might have to go to the hospital, just for a quick check-up, but the less rational side of him told him to shut up. He could last a bit longer. He looked up as he felt Hana’s stare join Kazuya’s.

“What?” Naruto asked, slightly defensive.

“How did you learn that before the academy? I only managed to convince my mum a month ago to start training me!” she whined, her canines poking out as she pouted.

“Never mind that, we could totally handle the second year work! We got the knowledge and the chakra training,” Kazuya announced, thoughts turning over in his head.

Naruto opened his mouth to refute his statement, knowing that he was behind when it came to lessons not involving history and chakra theory. His reading and writing had advanced leaps and bounds over the last few months but he still had to get help with some of the words and lettering. His taijutsu just sucked; his arm barely able to block one blow, though his kicks were making slow progress. Before a sound could leave his mouth, Hana spoke up.

“Hang on, no! My chakra control is rubbish right now and Naru-chan’s taijutsu is the same!” she exclaimed, earning a glare from the redhead. Just because it was true didn’t mean he liked other people pointing it out.

“Just listen. I am great at all the book stuff, Hana is the best at taijutsu and no one our age can compare to Naruto’s handle on chakra! Our throwing scores are decent! We could totally pass as second years,” he explained, a glint appearing in his eye.

Naruto groaned, flopping over to lie on the ground and wincing as he jostled his arm.

“Pinku-baka…”

“The second years have a general test next month to check on their progress; they are going to test all areas of the timetable. If we snuck in and got great scores, they would have no choice but to accept us into the class!” he finished triumphantly, his eyes scanning his two friends.

Hana absently continued patting the heads of her pups, her brow furrowed and brown eyes narrowed at the sky.

“How would we sneak in?”

“I figured we could find one of those forms from the staff room that would let us take part and forge Aiko-sensei’s name on it; by the time they realise it’s fake they’ll have seen how brilliant we are,” Kazuya shrugged.

“That’s only if they don’t check with Aiko-sensei before the test,” Naruto dryly remarked.

“Anyway, we got a month to really make ourselves into second year material. I can help you guys with all the notes and stuff; Hana, you help us with our taijutsu and Aka-chan, you coach us for chakra control,” he continued.

Naruto sighed and looked over at Hana, exchanging a glance. Both knew there was no stopping Kazuya once the ball started rolling and the end reward seemed worth more than suffering in this class. Naruto sighed and Hana grinned wolfishly.

“Fine,” they chorused.

Kazuya beamed at them.

“Knew you guys would get on board! We just got to sort out extra training times and stuff so we’re ready,” he chirped, lying back on the ground.

“And how we are supposed to sneak into the staff room, get Aiko-sensei’s signature and manage to fake it well enough to fool a chunin?” Naruto listed, watching the brunet wave his hand.

“That is a problem for closer to the time. First off, we got to sort out your taijutsu; you are not going to be able to face against anyone by the look on your face after every taijutsu class,” he pointed out, sitting up to look at the younger boy.

Naruto scowled, purposefully looking away. He spotted Hana sitting up in the corner of his eye and he hunched his shoulders.

“Aka-chan…have you been to the hospital yet?” Kazuya asked, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.

Naruto shrugged his shoulders.

“Didn’t Hokage-sama say to go when it hurt too much?” he frowned, exasperated.

“Naru-chan?” Hana piped up, looking at the redhead with concern.

Naruto sighed and looked at his friends. He couldn’t really put it off any longer, though three months was still pretty good. Honestly, he knew he should have gone for a check-up in the first month and he had told Kazuya that he would…

“It’s not that bad, Kazuya,” Naruto fibbed.

“Really? Why don’t you shake my hand then?” Kazuya replied dubiously.

Naruto shifted his arm and a wince escaped, his fingers twitching. He sighed and looked away. He heard a return sigh and peeked at Kazuya, spotting the frown on his face. A quick glance at Hana showed a similar expression.

“Right, before we start Operation ‘Jump’, Naruto’s going to the hospital to get sorted after class,” Kazuya stated firmly, eyeing the redhead.

“Alright, but Operation ‘Jump’?” Hana repeated.

“Yeah, as in ‘jump up a year’. I figured we need some sort of codename for this to keep it from the sensei and it’s pretty simple to remember,” Kazuya replied.

“That’s a terrible name,” added Naruto.

“Shut up. It’s named, it’s done, live with it.”

The three heard the sound of the lunch bell, signaling the end of break. They all rose, the pups trotting around their feet and headed inside. Kazuya kept his eyes on the tiny redhead as Naruto entered the classroom, watching for unnatural movements. The younger boy barely moved his left arm, keeping it closely tucked into his side, and arranging his notes with his other. Kazuya shook his head and took a seat beside his friend, readying to take notes on the shinobi rules.

After the final bell and waving Hana off, the pair collected Rio from the Hokage, the toddler now used to the routine. Kazuya marched Naruto through the village, holding on to his right shoulder while holding the younger Uzumaki in his other arm. They attracted several looks, some who noticed the blond boy and glared but others at the sight of young boys acting in such a way.

“Cut it out, Pinku-baka, I can walk!” yelled Naruto.

“Oh no, Aka-chan, I’m just making sure that my dear friend gets to his appointment safely,” Kazuya glared, sparks almost flying from the heat of their gazes.

“Naruto, Rio-chan!” a voice called out from the crowd.

The group of boys stopped, Rio squirming in Kazuya’s arm. At the sight of the silver-haired teen, Rio stopped playing with Inu-chan and stared for a moment before escaping and bounding towards him, squealing loudly.

“KASHI!” he screamed excitedly, giggling as the teen scooped him from the ground and held him up.

Kakashi looked from his godson to the other two boys, his eye lingering on the redhead before focusing on the wary brunet. Naruto managed to shrug off his grip, stepping away slightly.

“Hello boys, long time no see! Who’s this?” he asked casually, watching the brunet shoot looks at the redhead.

“Hey Kashi, this is Kazuya from my class. Pinku-baka, this is Kakashi, our…friend?” Naruto trailed off as he struggled to find a description for the teen, missing the flash of guilt that crossed Kakashi’s features at the hesitancy.

He raised a single red eyebrow at the shock on Kazuya’s face.

“The _copy-nin_ Kakashi?” he blurted out, taking in the silver, spiked hair and the facemask.

Kakashi attempted a wink at the boy, but with his headband it probably looked more like a blink. He watched the young boy process the knowledge before he burst out into laughter. All three stared at the snickering brunet, even Rio pausing his squirming long enough to look at his brother’s friend.

“You really surprise me sometimes, Aka-chan. The Hokage and the _copy-nin_? What’s next? One of the Sannin?” Kazuya smirked, muffling his giggles.

Naruto rolled his eyes at the older boy, crossing his arms and wincing at the movement. He looked at his friend who had caught it and groaned as the boy became focused again.

“Alright then, Kakashi-san, you can look after the kid while Aka-chan and I head to the hospital,” he decided.

“The hospital?” Kakashi repeated, his eye narrowing.

“Shut up, Kazuya!” Naruto hissed.

“Naruto!” Kazuya snapped right back.

The two boys glared for a moment longer before Naruto sighed, focusing his eyes on the road. He shot a pitiful glance at Kakashi, the guilt clear. The teen understood immediately; he had been avoiding the hospital. Naruto did hate the place, especially after the time spent there after the Kyūbi attack, but he didn’t really have a choice in the matter.

“I’m sure Rio-chan and I can have some fun with my nin dogs while you guys are busy,” Kakashi said slowly, grinning at the exclamation of joy from the toddler.

He watched some of the tension flow out of Naruto’s shoulders. He also knew the boy hated Rio anywhere near the hospital and the last thing the boy wanted was his brother at one of his appointments. It might make things easier if he knew that Rio was being taken care of. It was hard to believe at times that Naruto was only five; he would have doubted it himself if not for the fact he had been there when the then-blond was being held in Minato-sensei’s arms for the first time.

He nodded once at the brunet beside the redhead, Kazuya startling slightly before nodding back. The two pairs separated, Kazuya occasionally shooting glances behind him.

The boys continued in silence; Kazuya brooding over the appearance of the _copy-nin_ while Naruto was busy glaring at the growing view of the hated building. He was distracted from his staring contest by Kazuya’s voice.

“Seriously Naruto, what is with you and famous people?” he chuckled, a small smile tugging at his lips.

Naruto’s mouth twitched in return, the tension dissipating although he was still uncomfortable this close to the hospital.

“I’m just that good,” he smirked.

Kazuya shook his head as they passed through the entrance to Konoha’s main hospital. At the main desk, Naruto stated his name and doctor, the receptionist gesturing to the seats while assuring them that the doctor was available and would be with them soon. Before they left the desk, she directed a cheery hello to Kazuya while her eyes checked him over. A thought occurred to Kazuya as they sat.

“You didn’t seem as happy to see him as Rio-chan,” he remarked.

“Kashi is alright, but ‘cause he’s a jounin he’s away a lot. We only see him once every while; this time was almost four months. The last time was five months,” Naruto shrugged. “I guess I’m just used to doing things without him, so when he does appear it doesn’t really change anything, although I can get training tips from him sometimes.”

“It makes Rio happy to see him, but with such a long time between seeing him even he’s moving on from the usual antics when Kashi comes home,” Naruto finished.

There was a moment of silence between the boys before Naruto spoke up again.

“Why did she know you? Why look at you like that?”

Kazuya looked away, before his fists clenched and he turned to look at his friend. His dark-pink eyes were clouded as he seemed to come to a decision.

“You said it yesterday, right? My uncle’s an ass,” he admitted quietly.

Naruto’s eyes widened as it clicked.

“Usually he’s not so bad, just yelling and ordering me around. I’m never home so it stopped being a problem,” Kazuya mumbled. “Except when I’m home at night, when he’s supposed to be sleeping. He’s a civilian builder, so he works long days. Sometimes he likes to get drunk with his workmates and I make the wrong choice of leaving my room. He usually leaves me alone for a few days after until he goes back to the routine of yelling, but sometimes the cuts were too deep or the bruising is too bad to hide…”

He trailed off uncomfortably as Naruto shook with anger.

“It’s alright; he just throws things and maybe the odd punch; nothing too bad. I always tell the nurses that I had an accident or something,” Kazuya quickly added.

Naruto’s head jerked.

“It’s all bad! He should never be doing any of it in the first place!” Naruto spoke harshly, keeping his voice low.

Kazuya focused tired pink eyes on his young friend.

“What else am I supposed to do? I have nowhere else to go. At least if I graduate I can get missions which will take me away from the village for a while,” he sighed, resigned.

“NO!” Naruto shouted, before glancing around. Kazuya stared at him in confusion. He lowered his voice.

“After we graduate, you’re gonna move in with me and Rio when we leave the orphanage.”

Kazuya stared at him in shock before a wide smile stretched across his lips. He brought up his hand and gripped Naruto’s right hand, careful to avoid his left.

“Deal.”

The two boys grinned at each other, even more determined to graduate soon. Naruto hesitated as they let go, opening and closing his mouth a couple times as he diverted his eyes.

“Why tell you?”

Naruto’s head whipped up, the long red strands framing his face and the thick scar shining under the washed out hospital lights. Kazuya chuckled at his friend, his eyes dropping to the floor when it became hollow.

“You got your problems too, right? I trust you to keep your mouth shut,” he murmured.

Naruto stared at his friend, before dropping his eyes down too. He couldn’t tell Kazuya about their parents or the Kyūbi yet; Rio deserved to know first and he wouldn’t truly understand for a few more years.

“Thanks,” he mumbled back quietly.

It was silent between the two until Naruto glanced to his left as he felt familiar chakra approach. A wearied man in a white coat came over to them, looking at Naruto.

“Naruto-kun, I think you are a bit overdue, hmm?” he chided gently, pointedly staring at the way the boy held his arm.

“Oops…?”

Gesturing the way for the redhead to go ahead of him, he raised an eyebrow when the brunet next to him rose to follow.

“He’s coming, Yakushi-sensei” Naruto merely said, the pair walking down the white corridor.

The doctor ran a hand through his graying black hair, his brown eyes following the boys from behind his round glasses. It seemed the young Uzumaki had finally made a friend.


	5. Failure to Plan is Planning to Fail

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Rio gets a new babysitter and Naruto traumatizes the academy chunin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Red Leg that crops up in this chapter is from One Piece, but I've borrowed it 'cause it was so perfect for this story.

The next couple of weeks for the three students were the busiest time of their lives so far; on top of the usual daily academy, their time was split between the training grounds and the library.

Although he could help his friends with their chakra training, while using rocks to train his own, Naruto was forced to sit back and watch as Hana tested her clan style against Kazuya’s standard academy taijutsu, tapping his cast impatiently and occasionally answering the questions mixed in with his brother’s usual chatter as they sat to the side, keeping the Haimaru brothers company.

The hospital appointment had been exactly what Naruto had been dreading; his arm now immobile and useless until the two weeks were up. He had had plenty of experience with the cast, since he spent almost a year permanently stuck in one, with a renewal each month. He hadn’t had one since before the academy, but Yakushi-sensei had told him that he had disrupted the not-quite-healed pathways with his taijutsu classes and had to give them a chance to settle down again. 

He was broken out of his musing by the close sounds of heavy breathing and he looked to the side as the pair plopped themselves down beside him. He handed them their water bottles, waiting a moment for their breathing to calm.

“Awesome!” yelled Rio, clapping his hands in excitement.

“You say that every day we come here, Sunshine,” Naruto smiled as he ruffled his brother’s hair.

“Awesome every day!” the toddler cheered.

Kazuya hauled himself up enough to contribute his part to Rio’s unruly hairstyle.

“Thanks, Rio-chan,” he grinned, before looking at Naruto.

“I think you guys are a bit faster than when we started, but I still suck so I’m not the best judge,” he shrugged.

Kazuya nodded before glancing at Hana, who was slowly being buried by three bundles of fur.

“How about we head to the library then? You guys have pretty much caught up with the schoolwork, but we need to figure out your taijutsu and we can’t do that here,” he suggested, lending an arm to the redhead.

Naruto got up and then turned to dust Rio off as Hana escaped her pups.

“Alright, I got to go drop of these guys if we are headed to the library. Is he coming?” she nodded towards the blond.

Naruto looked towards the toddler, watching his attention focus on the pups. Rio didn’t like the library and Naruto could admit that he didn’t either; it was a necessary evil though and one that Rio was definitely going to fight.

“We really need to figure out something, ‘cause I don’t think Hokage-sama can keep taking him and we can’t keep bringing him to training,” Kazuya remarked.

Naruto sighed heavily.

“I know,” he admitted.

“Can the orphanage not look after him? Or a Genin babysitter?” Hana suggested.

“He wouldn’t be safe,” Kazuya replied, gaining a confused look from the Inuzuka.

“The matron doesn’t like him and a Genin might hurt him,” Naruto explained, watching the oblivious toddler sadly.

“Why would someone ever hurt him?” Hana asked, aghast.

Naruto and Kazuya looked at each other and shrugged.

“No idea,” the brunet shrugged, Naruto nodding in agreement while staring at the ground.

“Why can’t my mom?” she suggested suddenly. “She’s already got Kiba so it would just be one more.”

Both boys looked at her with surprise before hope lit up Naruto’s big blue eyes. A shadow crossed his features for a moment, so fleeting that Hana doubted she had seen it, before the boy came to a decision.

“Alright, we can try...” he trailed off uncertainly.

The group headed off towards the Inuzuka compound, Rio settled between the two boys. As they came closer to the compound, Naruto tucked Rio closer into his side as a tall, imposing woman appeared at the entrance. He could see a boy a similar age to Rio tangled in her legs, and the pair looked very much like Hana, although the woman looked much sterner and a lot wilder, with shaggy shoulder length hair and long red triangles on her cheeks.

Hana bounded forward with the Haimaru brothers, hugging the woman around the waist. The woman’s face softened slightly as she saw her daughter, but hardened once again when she spotted the three boys lingering around the entrance.

“Hana? Who are they?” she demanded, nodding towards the boys as she gained her daughter’s attention.

“That one is Arai Kazuya and the other is Uzumaki Naruto. They are in my class; the ones I told you about,” Hana answered, first pointing to the brunet then the redhead.

She then pointed to the woman.

“Guys, this is Tsume, my mum,” she introduced.

Both students gave a short bow of greeting to the Inuzuka head, Rio’s head poking out from behind Naruto. Tsume spotted the head and her eyes narrowed. Picking up on the movement, Naruto shifted slightly, hiding Rio behind him and glaring right back at the woman. Kazuya glanced between the pair and Hana’s mother, before taking a step closer to the two boys.

“What about the pup hiding there?” Tsume asked casually, watching the reaction of the students.

“That’s Rio, Naruto’s brother. He has been coming to training with us after the academy but we had to find a place for him to go since he kicks up a fuss at the library, so we were wondering if you could watch him since you already have Kiba?” Hana replied, innocent of any underlying meaning to the meeting.

The redhead seemed very protective of the container, placing himself between the possible danger and his pack and the other boy seemed to be part of it if their body language was anything to go by. She approved of the loyalty they obviously shared and how it extended, in part, to her daughter. Tsume had barely seen her daughter in the past couple of weeks, her pup always replying ‘training’ whenever she caught her in the mornings. It must have been with these boys.

She felt the clumsy attempt of chakra sensing from the redhead and her eyes widened slightly in surprise; the boy could already utilise his chakra enough to direct a sensing ability?

“Is Naruto-kun willing to give the boy up even for a short while?” Tsume queried, reading the reluctance in the young child.

She respected such loyalty and protectiveness in a boy that young, in both of the older boys. Tsume had no problems with the container, trusting the Yondaime’s skill, and looking at the toddler now the little blond was hardly a threat to anyone. It must have been difficult for the redhead, trying to take care of a brother only a few years younger than himself and unwilling to rely on adults to help out.

The redhead eyed her, talking in hushed tones with the boy beside him while the toddler looked on in confusion. Naruto glanced down as he sensed the tiny charka signature of Kiba making its way towards them. The group of boys fell silent as they watched the Inuzuka boy.

“You’ve got funny hair,” crowed Kiba, pointing at Rio’s blond locks.

“You’ve got a funny face,” Rio retorted, scowling and pointing at the red triangles.

As the boys exchanged barbs, Naruto looked back at Tsume. He couldn’t find any of the usual coldness or hatred he usually found in people who didn’t like Rio and it seemed like she understood his protectiveness over him. Tsume smiled slightly, the expression softening the hard lines of her face.

“Your brother will be safe with us; no one will hurt him,” she assured him.

Looking down at the bickering toddlers, Naruto nodded to himself and glanced once more at Kazuya. The brunet just stared with a raised eyebrow, his arms crossed and his pink gaze sharp.

_You gotta start trusting people at some point; we can’t do this by ourselves anymore and Rio can’t live in this bubble forever._

Kazuya’s earlier mutterings swirled in Naruto’s head as he knelt, grabbing Rio’s attention from the tiny Inuzuka, while tucking an errant strand of red hair behind his ear.

“Sunshine, you’re going to stay with Hana’s mom for a wee bit, ‘kay? We’ll be back in a couple hours.”

Rio gave his brother a wide-eyed stare, before switching it to the tall lady, and then back to his brother. He gripped the edge on Naruto’s orange t-shirt in his fist, the other hugging Inu-chan closer to him. His large violet eyes were filled with confusion; this hadn’t happened before. Nii-san hadn’t left him alone with anyone but Jiji, Kashi and Kazu-nee.

“Nii-san? Kazu-nee?” Rio asked in a small voice.

Naruto couldn’t suppress the slight twitch in his lips at Kazuya’s title. At dinner the first day they had met, Rio had decided that since he was Nii-san, Kazuya couldn’t be; so being the helpful brother he was Naruto had suggested Nee-san. Rio hadn’t used anything else since and Pinku-baka had long accepted his fate; after he’d spent three days ‘misplacing’ Naruto’s kunai. The roof had been his favourite.

“It’ll be alright, Rio. You get to make some new friends while Nii-san goes and reads some boring old books. It’ll be much more fun here,” Naruto assured, trying to comfort the toddler.

The small blond perked up at the suggestion of friends and glanced at Kiba before bobbing his small head. He let go of his brother’s t-shirt, stepping hesitantly towards the other toddler, looking back when Naruto took a step away. He continued to walk until he was in front of Tsume; Kiba firmly tangled in his mother’s legs. Naruto waved to his brother as the three students set off for the library; honing his sensing ability on the toddler as they walked down the street. He jumped slightly when he felt Kazuya’s hand pat his shoulder, some of the tension leaving his body at the gesture.

Kazuya was right; maybe it was time to start trusting people. The older boy had been the first, after two years of just him and Rio, and although he was happy with their little group they couldn’t watch the blond all the time. Maybe the Inuzuka could help.

* * *

Naruto glared at the book before him, partially hoping it would disappear if he stared at it long enough. Either that or catch fire; he wasn’t picky.

Two long hours in library had so far turned up nothing. The taijutsu books they had found so far had been about the history of the arts and the basics of only the academy style. Nothing about new styles, nothing about how to adapt the basic style, nothing _useful_. They just didn’t have access and the tiny hope that the civilian and student sections would have at least something had quickly fallen through.

Naruto had only managed to get through half that Hana had and he silently vowed to get better at reading. Beside him, Hana wasn’t succeeding either as she groaned into her arms.

“Why do we have to read so much? Why do they need so many pointless books?” she groaned, her voice muffled slightly by the table.

Naruto was about to reply when the pair were startled by a loud thud. They looked toward the final member of their group, the only one of them to actually enjoy these trips to the library. Kazuya looked ecstatic, his pink eyes sparkling, as he rested his hand on yet another damn book. Naruto was going to see these books dancing in his dreams, mocking him.

“It’s perfect,” he sang lightly.

Naruto leaned forward curiously, reading the title.

“ _Taijutsu: Alternate Styles_ ,” he read out, before his eyes darted to the grinning brunet. “Where did you find this?”

“Chunin section, since anything below that so far has been useless,” Kazuya replied, looking faintly proud. “They don’t really watch this place like they should, so I just had a peek and you should be glad I did.”

He turned the pages in the book, his eyes flickering across the pages before he found what he was looking for. Triumphantly, he turned the book towards the pair, pointing at the title.

“Even its name is perfect for you.”

Naruto skimmed over the page.

_Akai Ashi no Sutairu (commonly known as Akai Ashi or ‘Red Leg’)_

_A unique style originating from Kirigakure no Sato and created by Zeff, a shinobi of Kiri, Akai Ashi is a rarely used style due to the fact that it does not use arms or fists as part of the style._

_Akai Ashi is entirely based on the leg strength of the individual and employs the use of powerful hits, increased flexibility and light footwork to work at optimum capacity. The individuals who have adopted this style are usually those whose hands are too valuable to risk injuring in a fight; however, the difficulty of the style means that only a few shinobi in the Elemental Nations have successfully mastered this style as the lack of use of the upper limbs is commonly seen as a limitation..._

Naruto looked up from the book to see Kazuya still beaming.

“I can’t read half of this,” Naruto frowned.

“You get the gist of it though?” Kazuya insisted, watching the redhead nod.

“Plus this book has the katas we need to get you started with this style and the best part; you don’t need your arms so we don’t have to worry about you ending up in the hospital after intense taijutsu training!” Kazuya crowed.

For the first time since they had entered this place, a smile grew on Naruto’s face, soon matching that of his friend. Hana grabbed the book from between them and skimmed over the page, understanding from the description Kazuya’s excitement.

“With this, you could actually stand a chance against the second years,” she realised, turning the pages to take a look at the katas.

“I mean, it’ll take a few years for you to actually master it and everything since you’re so tiny but this style is focussed on speed and footwork more than anything. The power can come later,” Kazuya added.

“I’ll grow eventually... plus I’m younger than you by like, two years...” Naruto muttered beneath his breath.

“Anyway, we can sneak the book out and start on this tomorrow, but for the test we’ll work on dodging and tricks since it’s so soon. For now we need to start focussing on how we can get the forms and Aiko-sensei’s signature,” Naruto continued a bit louder.

“Aka-chan has a point; we need to get them pretty soon. The test’s in two weeks and it’d probably be safer to get them well before the test so there’s less suspicion,” Kazuya agreed, relaxing into one of the chairs

“The forms can’t just disappear; there’s no way no one will notice. Plus the signature has to be believable. They’re chunins,” Hana added.

The group feel silent for a few moments, contemplating the next stage of Operation ‘Jump’.

“Why don’t we make it so they can’t notice?” Naruto suddenly piped up, attracting the looks of his friends.

“I mean, what if they can’t notice ‘cause they are too distracted?” he added after seeing their confusion. “What if there were too many strange things happening for them to notice a few bits of paper missing?”

Kazuya furrowed his brow, switching his gaze to the table’s surface as he turned it over in his head.

“How?”

Naruto grinned and his scar twisted with the motion.

“We prank ‘em.”

* * *

Over the next week, Konoha’s academy was bombarded with a chain of stange events that left the students buzzing with gossip as the sensei became more and more agitated.

It started small. Salt in the sugar bowl, curry powder in the cups, notes on classroom doors that lead to the sensei hunting down their classes. On the second day, everything in the staffroom was moved three inches to the left, leading to much swearing and bruises until they figured out why they kept bumping into things.

Then it began to escalate.

Chairs began randomly collapsing in the staffroom, doors super glued shut, laxatives now replaced the curry powder. On the fifth day every single hallway was covered in full cups of water. It had taken two hours and a B-rank water jutsu for classes to start up.

On the final day, the sensei had entered to find their staffroom had been redecorated. It was pink everywhere. Pink walls, pink ceiling, pink desks, pink windows, pink chairs and pink everything on the desks. The floor was an expanse of pure glitter, none of the worn brown wood to be seen; everything in the room had a film of glitter on it.

The sensei had come in together as they had grown wary over the past week. There had been no success in finding the culprits and the chunin that was stationed at the academy the previous night was nowhere to be seen. As they stepped into what they hoped was the only prank today they triggered a trap; pink paint rained from the ceiling directly above them followed by a shower of glitter.

As they stood partially covered, most being able to get out the way, they spotted the chunin guard dressed in a pink sparkly dress and terrible make-up, tied up and gagged on the ground. Every single sensei went to class that day sparkling. They kept finding glitter for weeks after they cleaned the office.

Then the pranks stopped. Half the village was expecting something at this point, but nothing happened the next week. The ‘reign of terror’ over the academy’s sensei appeared to be over.

No one noticed a few missing forms.

* * *

The morning of the test, the second year classes were buzzing with a mixture of nerves and excitement. As Hideki-sensei finished off the attendance, the three first years quietly walked in and placed their papers on the desk before taking a seat near the front of the class. As the class turned to stare at the trio, Naruto rubbed his now cast-free arm as Kazuya stood to address the teacher.

“We’re here to take the test, Aiko-sensei signed to say we could,” he explained before sitting and holding his breath.

Raising a single eyebrow, Hideki-sensei glanced at the three papers before shuffling them away to be filed later. He had too much to do today and if the ever-tough Aiko had agreed then they must be ready.

“Alright then, this is how the test will be given. First is an hour long written test, followed by target practice and then chakra control. We’ll finish up with a round of taijutsu, since we started sparring this year. Now spread yourselves out for the first portion,” he announced, collecting the test papers from his desk before heading to hand them out.

Naruto glanced to the side to nod to his friends, silently hoping that Kazuya had drilled enough into his brain that he could pass. A test paper was handed to him and he grabbed his brush, turning it over when the sensei gave the word.

The hour passed quickly for most, the only sound being the rustling of paper and the occasional muttering. Naruto had managed to fill in over half the questions, but the rest were beyond him; he just hoped that he had enough to pass. Beside him Hana continued writing right until the end of the allotted time while Kazuya placed his brush down ten minutes before the end.

After collecting the papers, Hideki-sensei herded the class to the targets outside and began to call out students one-by-one to throw the five kunai and five shuriken and noted down their scores. After the second years had finished he called out ‘Arai’, watching the brunet line up with the target. The boy looked comfortable with the weapons, throwing them in succession at the target. Noting the score of 7, he called the Inuzuka, watching as she sank 8 into the target.

Finally the little redhead stood in front of the target. The name Uzumaki rang a bell in Hideki’s head but he couldn’t place where, the thought that the kid looked a bit young for even first year passing through his head. The kid had gone through some shit though, if that scar on his face and those too-old eyes were any indication. Uzumaki planted 7 into the posts and Hideki gave him a short nod before telling the class to grab three leaves.

The test for chakra control was pretty straightforward; they all started with three leaves and they had to keep them attached to their body for 10 minutes, including keeping one on their forehead. To gain more marks they could add leaves as they went along, but they could not let any drop to the ground.

Sitting them close to the trees, he watched the kids settle as they began channelling their chakra. It was still pretty new to them, only beginning to handle chakra this year and he wandered over to the first years, wondering how they would manage without official training.

Arai seemed to have a handle on it with five leaves stuck to him. Hideki nodded with approval as he noted it down, also writing the Inuzuka’s score of four leaves. As he came to redhead he stopped and stared, his brush frozen above his scoring sheet as he watched Uzumaki add a leaf every few seconds, after stabilizing the ones already on his body. The kid stopped at fourteen, cocking his head at the teacher as Hideki stood in shock, causing some red strands to hang in front of his face. Noting down the score almost absentmindedly, he turned to review the other students before calling time.

As the class headed to the final part of the day, the midday sun shining down on them, Hideki moved towards the redhead who stopped talking to his friends to look.

“Where did you learn that?” he demanded, unable to wait until after the taijutsu.

He had heard of students being able to circulate that many at the end of third year at the earliest, but never in first year. The boy scratched the back of his neck sheepishly, giving a lopsided grin.

“I started working on chakra control before the academy so I had a few months head start,” he admitted. “I had to ‘cause I couldn’t risk chakra going through my arm, so I had to learn how to control it pretty early on.”

Hideki nodded as he glanced at the kid’s left arm, noticeably paler and thinner than the other.

The taijutsu fights began shortly and the sensei watched carefully. His class was pretty good overall for a second year class but there were no overwhelming victories. The Inuzuka’s clan style was strong, the first year girl actually winning her fight.

Arai did well too, throwing quick punches as he constantly moved around the ring. The other boy had a difficult time catching the smaller kid, though as the match progressed he landed more and more hits. Arai lasted a while against the Yamanaka before taking a foot to the stomach. As the kid coughed his way back to his friends, the pair sniggering at his misfortune, he called the last students left to the ring.

The Akimichi boy stared down the redhead, hesitantly looking back at his sensei with an ‘are you serious’ look plastered across his features. Hideki shrugged and called out for the fight to start, wondering how long it would take to rush the redhead to the hospital.

The fight began with the much larger boy throwing a soft, slow punch at the redhead, as if expecting the kid to break at a touch. Uzumaki, quick on his feet, dodged and jabbed a pointed hand into the Akimichi’s armpit. Hissing in surprise, the large boy was not fast enough to stop the redhead kicking the back of his knees. Uzumaki buzzed around the ring, the Akimichi starting to take the fight seriously. When the first hit landed, there was a collective wince as the small boy hit the ground. However, he rolled and rose to his feet, his face set with determination.

The Akimichi landed several more hits during the fight and the Uzumaki just kept getting back up again. Soon enough though, the large boy managed to grab the redhead and flung him outside the ring. Hideki called the fight and looked over to check on the smaller kid. Seeing him rise to his feet once more, Hideki announced the end of the test and informed the kids they would be issued their results after an extended lunch.

The three first years exchanged nervous grins as Kazuya reached over to Naruto’s shoulder and steadied him. It would be another trip to the hospital after the results since he could already spot the slight swelling from the redhead having landed on his bad arm. He could send Hana ahead to the clan compound to let Rio know they would be on their way.

They could just hope now that the results would be counted before they were found out.


	6. Work in Progress

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Naruto and Kazuya debate colours and Naruto gets a new accessory

Naruto shuffled his feet nervously, his palm sweaty as he held Rio’s hand, waiting for someone to answer Kazuya’s knocks. He heard the snuffling at the door before the handle turned, Hana appearing as the Haimaru puppies circled their feet, spending an extra few moments sniffing Rio. Hana shooed them back into the house and waved the three boys in, Rio immediately shaking off Naruto to track down Kiba. After the first few days of uncertainty and petty jabs, the pair had become very close very quickly and now it was a common sight to see them bickering around the clan compound.

Naruto was delighted his brother had made a firm friend and was more than happy to take the extra task of looking after Rio off of Jiji’s shoulders. The old man had enough going on and the Inuzuka were kind to the young blond, even if they were a bit rough around the edges. Naruto was still wary of the villagers as they continued to glare at Rio on the streets and the occasional attempt was made to harm him, usually by drunks. Each incident was resolved without too much trouble with the help of the ANBU but Naruto could never forget the burning hatred in their eyes.

His nerves showed no signs of budging when Hana led them to the large dining room, the table set for dinner. Tsume poked her head out from the kitchen, her sharp eyes looking over the pair.

“Have a seat, boys,” she barked. “The two pups are going to have a snack now and dinner after we have a little talk.”

Naruto glanced at Kazuya as they sat in the first seats they could reach, his terrified expression matching his own. Naruto trusted the head of the Inuzuka clan but she was the most intimidating person he had ever met; he was pretty sure he knew what this was about too. They sat silently as Hana ran up to fetch the toddlers and situated them in the living room next door within sight of the table. Tsume finished placing food on the table and sat, her daughter hurriedly joining her.

Naruto noted the meat on the table far outweighed the vegetables but he supposed they were a dog-based clan and dogs ate meat and now he could see members of the clan with tails and fluffy ears and he needed to stop thinking as Tsume began to speak.

“I should congratulate you boys for skipping a year. When Hana told me a few days ago she was now a second year, you can imagine my surprise until all the pieces fell into place.” Her eyes scanned their faces. “That’s what all the training you did was for.”

The pair waited to see what she would do next.

The academy teachers had been furious when they first found out about the whole plan, but by then it was too late and the results had been tallied and announced. All three had not only passed but they were roughly in the middle of the rankings, though Naruto was only two places above last, so the sensei had to accept they had earned their place.

They had chewed Naruto out the most, bringing up his arm and medical history every third sentence. Honestly, Naruto was still surprised they let him stay with the other two, considering his age and currently useless arm.

Then the sensei had figured out it was them behind the pranks. The three could still hear the yelling in their ears two days later.

Once Aiko-sensei and Hideki-sensei had calmed down about all the chaos they had created and the lies they had told, they admitted they were slightly impressed by the forethought and work that went into it. They even praised the forgery and thievery because if they could accomplish something like this, then they would do well in their future stealth and sabotage lessons.

Of course, if they pulled something like this on the sensei again they would have detention until they were chunin.

Plus they were stuck with cleaning duties until the end of the year.

And Naruto had gotten another lecture from Yakushi-sensei when he had gone to get his arm checked.

“Hana told me about all the hours at the library, the sparring and the chakra control you’ve been doing over the past month, teaching each other your strong points. The plan itself was crude but worked.”

“So tell me more,” she grinned, taking a plate of sausages and dumping some on her plate, gesturing for the kids to do the same.

Naruto, Kazuya and Hana hesitated for only a moment before tucking in, Naruto’s new cast making it awkward to put things on his plate. He was bummed that he had to have another so soon after he had gotten rid of the old one but that final hit in the test damaged the same pathways he’d messed up before.

“The plan was Kazuya’s and then me and Hana added to it,” Naruto began, spearing a sausage with a chopstick.

Kazuya took over as Tsume turned her gaze to him.

“Well, we were all bored with first year and second year didn’t seem all that hard so I just thought ‘let’s do it’ since I had overheard about the test a couple days before. So we figured since I was good with the books, Hana with taijutsu and Aka... Naruto with chakra control, between us we could do it,” he finished, looking at Hana to continue.

“Naru-chan’s the one who thought up the pranks and we all carried them out,” she added. “I already told you how we took the forms and a copy of Aiko-sensei’s signature.”

“You didn’t say who did the forgery.”

“That was me,” Naruto answered, pausing in his battle with the meat. “It took a week of practice to get it close enough, but we were lucky Hideki-sensei didn’t look at it closely until after the results.”

Tsume looked thoughtful for a moment.

“And how old are you both?”

“Five.” “Seven.”

Her brows rose in surprise.

“So you two had already entered the academy early?”

The pair shared a look.

“I guess?” Kazuya shrugged.

For some reason Tsume couldn’t pick up on, they seemed uncomfortable discussing it. She knew that they would’ve needed special permission to be able to enter before the minimal age, but she didn’t know who had signed off for them to attend.

Tsume watched them, guessing they weren’t willing to talk about it any further and decided to drop it for now. She was proud of her daughter and of the two boys she had gotten to know over the last month. They would talk when they were ready.

“So what kind of pranks did you pull?”

The pair relaxed at the question, devious smirks growing on their faces as they began to regale the matriarch of their tales of mischief.

* * *

Two months later, the three boys walked into the weapons shop calling out a greeting as they entered. It was a day off from the academy and their usual extra training and they had promised Tenjirou they would help out with deliveries.

Most of the training lately had been figuring out the ‘Red Leg’ style from the book they ‘borrowed’, but they had hit a wall with it, ending up focussing on their target practice or chakra control or homework instead. Second year was much busier than first but they preferred the fuller timetable, although Naruto was unable to spend as much time with Rio has he had before. The toddler was happy at the Inuzuka compound and Tenjirou even watched him from time to time, but Naruto reassured himself that he would see more of his little brother when they left the orphanage.

The front desk came into view and they spotted Tenjirou sealing wrapped packages into a scroll. The first time they had delivered packages for him, the man had asked if they were working with chakra yet. After learning about Naruto’s sensing and ever-growing control, he had sat him down and showed him how to seal and unseal items from storage scrolls. Fortunately, it only required channelling small amounts of chakra through one hand and the redhead picked it up within an hour, imitating the flow of chakra he sensed from the shopkeeper. Tenjirou promised to teach Kazuya once he had enough control.

Walking up to him, the sound of crashing boxes from the back room shot through the store and they heard the man swear before launching himself towards it. Coming up to stand at the desk and plonking Rio on the counter, they watched him emerge from the doorway with a little girl in his arms.

“Sorry about that, Tenten’s getting more curious every day,” he chuckled.

The twin-bunned girl in his arms didn’t look that much younger than Naruto and her brown eyes inspected them.

“Tou-chan, who’re they?” she asked, voice high and inquisitive.

“The tall one is Arai Kazuya and the short one, Uzumaki Naruto. The little fellow on the counter is Norio, Naruto’s brother. The bigger two are in the academy and deliver some things for Tou-chan,” Tenjirou replied.

Tenten looked thoughtful, her tiny features scrunched up in concentration.

“But red one is too small to be in academy,” she pointed out, unable to understand how this boy could already be in the academy, when Tou-chan said she had to wait a few more years.

Tenjirou hesitated in answering his daughter. Personally, he agreed that Naruto was a bit young to be in the academy already, let alone being recently advanced to second year. He was good with chakra and alright with kunai but the rest he wasn’t that great. Sometimes though, when he looked into those blue, blue eyes they didn’t match the tiny body, the youthful face, the high, loud voice. He forgets this boy is only two years older than his daughter; the determination and wariness overpowering everything else. He forgets looking at the wide twisted scar on his face that he could have only been his daughter’s age when it happened. So he replies with the only explanation that fit, that pushed away the doubts.

“He’s a tough one,” Tenjirou answers, the corners of his mouth quirking up as he heard Naruto mumbling about growth spurts.

“Ten-jiisan, is it okay if Rio stays with you? Last time he almost fell into a river when we took our eyes off him for a second,” Kazuya asks, a ghost of a shiver running down his back at the memory. The water had been freezing that day.

“Of course, Tenten doesn’t get much chances to leave the shop nowadays with her mother busy in Suna so it might be good for her to make a friend,” the shopkeeper replied, putting down his daughter and picking up Rio, resting him beside Tenten.

As the pair looked at each other, Tenjirou handed Naruto the scrolls and the boy shoved them into his bag.

“By the way, nice to see you without a cast, Naruto,” Tenjirou called as the boys headed out.

“For now,” he overheard Kazuya murmuring, watching Naruto jab the brunet in the side.

The shopkeeper thought back to the many casts the redhead had been stuck with since he met them. Maybe there was a way to prevent it altogether. An idea started to piece itself together in his head and he grabbed for a blank scroll and a brush, keeping one eye on the pair on the ground.

* * *

Naruto and Kazuya made their way through the village, dropping off the packages as they went. They had somehow gotten onto the topic of fashion and Naruto was making a case for the colour orange. He didn’t really understand why certain clothes and colours were preferred over others; as long as they did their job and didn’t get in the way, right? Besides, orange is awesome!

“I mean seriously, Aka-chan, you already have bright red hair but together with orange? In some ways they kinda match ‘cause they’re both warm colours but still, they can see you in Kumo!”

“I don’t think anyone could see us from Kumo unless they had a dōjutsu, but it still seems too far...”

“I didn’t mean...you know what I meant! Stop laughing!”

“Come on, Pinku-baka, orange is great!”

“I will talk some sense into you eventually...”

“Purple is useless in all situations though.”

“Purple is a lovely colour that can look good on anyone.”

“So is orange.”

“If you’re blind. Why not try a blue t-shirt instead, or black?”

“Why not add glitter and put ribbons in your hair?”

“Now you’re just being petty...”

This debate continued until they were interrupted by loud shouting coming from the training ground they were passing. The two look at each other before starting to head towards the noise. Naruto wasn’t sure why Kazuya looked so sad when he defended purple, but the older boy had hidden it so quickly that he decided to leave it. Kazuya would tell him eventually. Coming in view of a wide flat training ground, they looked towards the two figures standing in the centre and become rigid in shock at the sight.

“I’m sorry I complained about your t-shirt,” Kazuya whispered. “I now see there is much, _much_ worse in the world.”

In the centre of the space stood two men, doing some odd display of _jan ken po_. One was easily recognised with the gravity-defying silver hair and face mask but the man opposite him was one they didn’t recognise and Kazuya silently hoped he wouldn’t have to see him again.

In a tight green jumpsuit with orange legwarmers and a red belt, Kazuya’s eyes hurt looking at him. Unfortunately, one of the packages they had left was for the _Copy-nin_ so they had to get closer to the eyesore. Walking closer, the brunet winced as he spotted the shiny black bowl cut paired with massive bushy eyebrows. Beside him, Naruto was caught between sniggering at his friend and staring at the shinobi; he had never seen him before but he seemed pretty close with Kashi.

They stopped a short distance from the pair, catching the attention of the jounin. Halting their challenge, Kakashi looked over the redhead. He looked okay and there was no cast; he had heard recent talk that the kid had been part of the group that had been advanced a year. While happy that Minato-sensei’s kid was doing well, Kakashi felt pangs of guilt and disappointment tugging at his heart for having to find out through his fellow shinobi. He knew Naruto didn’t depend on him as much; he was missing out on him growing up.

“Hey Naruto, Kazuya, what’s up?”

Before he could get an answer, his ‘eternal rival’ spoke up.

“Hello youthful friends of my eternal rival. I am Maito Gai, the Konoha’s Sublime Green Beast of Prey,” he announced, gaining a pair of wide-eyed stares.

Kakashi glanced at his friend exasperatedly before looking at the boys again.

“What are you two doing today? Where’s Rio?”

“Rio-chan is with Ten-jiisan while we’re doing deliveries for him. Speaking of...” Kazuya answered, trailing off to look at his companion.

Naruto reached into his bag and pulled out a scroll, pressing his right hand against the seal in the centre and summoning the packs of kunai and shuriken.

“Here,” he said, passing them to the silver-haired shinobi. “A pack of twenty kunai and shuriken.”

Kakashi looked down in surprise at the packets now in his hand. He knew that Naruto had met the shopkeeper and had been taught a few things, but he wasn’t aware of their apparent part time jobs. He was even more surprised that Naruto could already work storage seals. They were usually handled in the final year of the academy.

As the boys turned to go, Kakashi called out.

“Wait, I haven’t seen you two in a while. How is your training going at the academy?”

Naruto stopped and turned, Kazuya following his lead. The usually chatty brunet was quiet, just watching the interaction. Gai was doing the same, but Kakashi could see the focussed look in his friend’s eyes as he examined the students.

“It’s okay,” the redhead shrugged. “I hit the targets more often but my taijutsu and grades still suck. I can control ten rocks now though. Plus I can sense people’s chakra better when it moves around their bodies.”

“I have one of the top grades in the class and one of the better target scores. My control and taijutsu still need a lot of work,” added Kazuya.

“That’s great,” Kakashi eye-smiled. “If you need any help, you know you can ask anytime.”

“Yeah...” Naruto replied, shifting his feet.

There was a pause that grew more uncomfortable with each passing second. Kakashi didn’t know what else to say and Naruto had the same struggle. With all the time Kakashi spent away on missions, Naruto didn’t know where he stood with him. He knew Kashi cared and wanted to help, but after this he probably wouldn’t see the teen again for months.

“Excuse me, but you mentioned taijutsu?” Gai interrupted, flashing his sparkling smile at the tiny redhead.

Gai had heard of this boy and his brother from Kakashi. Kakashi had withdrawn into himself since the death of his sensei and anyone was lucky to manage to pry enough from him to form a conversation. He had an unrelenting focus on his missions and didn’t socialise anymore; this was the first time Gai had really spoken to him in almost six months. He knew that Kakashi hadn’t completely shut down, still trying to be there for the two kids, appearing to have increased to three. It didn’t seem to be going well.

The two nodded at his question.

“Well, my youthful friends, I happen to be a taijutsu master and Kakashi just as skilled so we can aid you now,” he grinned, breaking out into his ‘nice guy’ pose.

Naruto gave a quick glance to the messenger bag at his side.

“We still got a couple of things to deliver, but you could answer our questions?” Kazuya compromised, bringing out a book from his own bag.

Walking forward, partly dragging the redhead, he presented the page of katas to the jounin. Gai’s massive eyebrows rose and Kazuya figured Kakashi had the same expression, but with the hair and the mask it was hard to be sure.

“Red Leg?” Gai read. “Why are you trying to learn this?”

“Where did you get the book?” Kakashi asked.

“Library, don’t remember which shelf but Aka-chan doesn’t have to use his arm for this style,” Kazuya replied to both.

Kakashi took the book from his hands and Gai peered at it, nodding to himself.

“Naruto, you can’t do these katas yet,” Kakashi started. “This style is built on speed and flexibility; you’ll need to build on your balance and basic fitness first, and then move onto flexibility. Speed will come with time.”

“With the Power of Youth, I’m sure you can master this style, Naruto-kun,” Gai spoke up, his teeth shining.

Naruto and Kazuya each sent a confused glance to the other.

“We can create a training regime for you to follow that will shape your young bodies into the ultimate example of youth!” Gai proclaimed. “Same for you, Kazuya-kun, but we shall make yours so you can expand on the academy style!”

“For now, go finish your deliveries and come back here when you’re done. They should be ready by then,” Kakashi promised.

Bright smiles appeared on the students faces and they turned, heading out of the training ground and chattering away about the new opportunity opened up before them. Kakashi watched them go, the guilt in his gut lifting slightly.

* * *

The rest of the trio’s second year in the academy passed quickly.

They kept up their extracurriculars: Kazuya continuing to help his friends study and gradually improving Naruto’s reading abilities; Hana moving forward with her clan style and sparring with the boys, dumping them on the ground more often than not; Naruto working with them to increase the number of leaves the two older student could control at a time, while expanding his own exercises to include larger objects and holding leaves on his body for whole days at a time; and all three’s target scores had increased by the end of the final term.

Naruto and Kazuya had received a personal training regime as promised, with an agreement to upgrade it for third year if they could prove their progress. Their mornings now began with a jog around the sleeping village as Naruto made sure to be back at the orphanage before anyone woke up. Kazuya had gentle muscle training which could put power behind his hits, while Naruto had a series of stretches and balancing exercises to complete each day.

All three had managed to make their way up the class rankings, with Kazuya third and Hana a close fourth. Naruto had worked his way up to the middle, with his taijutsu not quite good enough yet to let him get any further. They hadn’t made any friends in the new class, with most of their classmates annoyed that kids younger than them were at the same level and beating most of them. 

Naruto had ended up in another two casts by the year’s end as the older kids made their displeasure clear during the taijutsu practices.

As October rolled by, Naruto celebrated his birthday on the fifth of October at Ichiraku’s; Hana surprised him with an assortment of hair ties and clips and a promise to teach him how to handle his growing locks and Kazuya presented him two notebooks.

When Naruto looked back at the brunet, Kazuya motioned him to open one. When he did, he found all the notes they had needed in first year, rewritten in an easy style with extra diagrams and references. Opening the second, he found the same but for second year.

“I know you aren’t a fan of studying but I figured this could help you so you got everything you need in one place,” Kazuya explained, his hands fidgeting at his sides.

Naruto placed the books on the counter and held out a fist in response, Kazuya bumping it with his own. As the redhead flicked through the pages, his grin threatening to take over his face and Kazuya relaxed, shoving his hands into his pockets. He hadn’t been sure Naruto would like them, but it meant that his friend would be able to look back at anything they had done anytime. Kazuya just hoped they would make the theory tests a bit easier for the redhead.

“This is awesome, thanks Pinku-baka,” Naruto smiled, his blue eyes alight with joy.

“Rio-chan’s got something for you too,” Kazuya replied, grinning at the surprise on his face.

Nodding to the blond as Naruto turned to face him, Rio held out a piece of paper to him, his violet eyes following his brother’s movements carefully as Naruto took it. It was a card; Kazuya’s writing at the top saying ‘Happy Birthday Nii-san!’ with a picture of Kazuya, Rio and himself beneath it holding hands obviously done by Rio. Naruto ran a hand over the childish scrawls, smiling faintly.

“Thanks Rio,” he whispered, a strange mixture of joy and sadness swirling within him.

This was nothing like last year, when it was just Rio and him in the orphanage. He had been pretty sure no one knew his birthday; he hadn’t celebrated it since his third, when he still had parents and a baby brother that was only a few days from joining their family. As another year passed and Rio grew up another bit more, his parents became part of a past that was getting further away each year.

He shoved away those thoughts as he ruffled Rio’s already unruly locks, the toddler giggling.

Perhaps the biggest surprise was the summons they had received from Tenjirou as they were finishing up their meal. Going along to the shop, the four of them entered before being waved through to the miniature training field at the back of the shop. Stepping outside, Naruto crossed over to Tenjirou who was waving at him from the outside bench. The redhead spotted the assortment of black cloth and rolls of bandages on the table before shooting a confused look at the shopkeeper.

“Naruto-kun, I’m going to put this on you and let me know what you think when I’m done,” Tenjirou picked up a roll of bandage and starting to wrap it around Naruto’s left arm.

Naruto’s confusion only grew and he looked over at his friends, his gaze catching the thoughtful look in Kazuya’s dark pink eyes. It took a few minutes with Tenjirou occasionally directing Naruto to move his fingers and elbow when needed. Spending another short while adjusting, the shopkeeper finally stepped back, admiring his work.

“That should do it. What do you think? Lucky you had your cast removed last week.”

Naruto looked down at his arm.

It started as a regular fingerless glove with reinforced knuckles and a thin rectangular metal plate on the back of his hand. The black material making up the glove continued up to his shoulder, with a thick strap going around his chest to join the material at the back at the shoulder. The black material fit snugly against his arm and Naruto could feel three strips of thin metal woven to it, going from his wrist to his elbow, running along the soft underside of his forearm. On top of his forearm was a sheet of metal that appeared to act as a bracer but Naruto found its second use as he ran his other hand over it; four wire thin pieces of metal looped around his forearm, connecting all the pieces. However, the only visible part was the bracer on the top.

Around his elbow the material was slightly thicker with increased elasticity, allowing him to bend it freely. On his upper arm there were six strips of metal around his bicep running up to his shoulder with five wires wrapping around to keep it firmly in place. It effectively created two thin cages around both his bicep and forearm.

In all, it looked like a regular sleeve with a bracer and a glove at the end but Naruto could feel the unseen support, firmly wrapped and hugging his arm. It weighed his arm down, but much less than would have been expected considering all the metal he could feel.

“It’s just the prototype. I should be able to adjust anything that isn’t quite comfortable. I can also import a lighter metal from my man in the Land of Iron and find a more breathable material so you won’t need the bandages underneath but I just wanted to see if it worked,” Tenjirou muttered beneath his breath. “Plus I’ll shape the metal so it’s more like mesh encasing the whole arm than the strips it has now...”

At Naruto’s wide-eyed stare, Tenjirou shook himself from his future modifications and felt he should explain.

“This can save you from having to get a new cast, as it not only supports your arm constantly but since it’s reinforced it should be suitable for battle, protecting you from that kind of damage in the first place.”

Flexing his arm one more time, Naruto stared at his arm a moment longer before launching himself at the shopkeeper. Tenjirou looked down in surprise as he saw Naruto trying to hold back sobs, before hugging the boy back.

Naruto doubted the shopkeeper knew what he had done for him, at least not yet. All he had said was true but to Naruto it was so much more. It was a real chance at getting through the academy, a chance at holding his own, and a chance to leave the hospital behind. Despite what others thought, Naruto knew his limits; he knew there was a higher chance he wouldn’t be able to become a shinobi than he would. Every time he went for a cast he had the staff telling him to give up; that he couldn’t graduate if his arm didn’t get better.

He knew that his arm was still trying to heal the pathways, even after three years. He knew that every time his arm took a hit it disrupted the delicate healing. There was no way they would let him in the field if he had to go the hospital every other week, no matter how valuable they kept saying his sensing ability was.

But this brace gave him new hope that he could stand on the same level as his friends, as their classmates. He had been fighting since his parents died; fighting the hatred of the villagers for Rio, the doubt in people’s faces when he said he was going to be a shinobi, his own body.

Maybe now he had a chance to prove he really could do it.

He could win.


	7. Well, Well, Well, If It Isn't the Consequences of My Own Actions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Naruto's impatience comes back to haunt him and gives half of Konoha a heart attack

“Go up again.”

“I don’t have endless chakra you know.”

“One more time, then you _have_ to teach me.”

“You just got the hang of five rocks.”

“And now I can learn to _walk up a freaking tree_.”

“ _No_ , Pinku-baka. Get to at least ten rocks first, that’s what the book said.”

“Since when do you listen to books?”

“Since I tried it when I was only at six rocks and almost blew my leg off. Twice. Like the book said would happen.”

“...fine.”

Naruto walked down rest of the trunk, jumping the last few metres to land lightly beside his friend. Grinning at the pout on Kazuya’s face he walked over to their bags and pulled out some water, chugging it down. It had taken three months to get to the top of the tree and another month on top of that to be able to walk up and down the tree as he liked. It was all worth it to see the look on Kazuya’s face; although explaining the extra bruises and the exhaustion hadn’t been easy.

“How do you even have the chakra to do this? I barely have enough for the rocks,” Kazuya whined.

“Jiji says it’s ‘cause I’m an Uzumaki,” Naruto shrugged. “Apparently we just have a lot of chakra.”

Dropping his bottle back onto the bags, he turned.

“Jutsu?”

“Sure, but I can’t believe you hid this. I’m kinda proud yet bugged I didn’t notice,” Kazuya sighed.

“You were the one who wanted to do even more than our already full workload. It also means my stealth’s getting better,” Naruto pointed out, sitting down in front of his friend.

“True,” Kazuya nodded, moving into position.

Naruto had had a vague idea what Kazuya was up to from about a month into their third year; he was going into fourth year stuff during their sessions at the library plus he had talked him and Hana into sneaking into some of the fourth year lessons. They knew something like ‘Operation Jump’ wouldn’t work a second time, but the redhead decided to leave the pink-eyed boy to it.

“ _Henge_ first?” Kazuya added, his hands moving through the seals at the nod.

There was a puff of smoke before the figure of Hana replaced Kazuya, taking a moment to throw a wink at the sitting boy before reverting back. The final member of their group was tied up with clan training today, but they had managed to see her for a brief time while they dropped off Rio.

Naruto had been concerned he was taking advantage of the Inuzuka by dropping off the toddler almost every day. However, the one time since that Rio had stayed with Jiji for the day, it ended in disaster; Naruto still couldn’t figure out how Rio managed to end up two floors above where he should have been, with the chunin on duty in various states of undress and distress; from what Hana had been saying Kiba had caused just as much trouble. It had been decided that separating the two wasn’t a good idea. At least the chaos could be contained to one place.

Naruto was already sighing at the trouble they would get into when they were older.

“Did you get it?” Kazuya broke into Naruto’s chain of thought.

“A few more times,” he replied, closing his eyes to focus on his sensing ability.

Since it manifested three years ago, Naruto had been slowly working on his sensing ability to pinpoint how chakra moves within the body. He figured if he could move it the same way around his own body, then he could do jutsu without needing both hands for seals. He knew there were one-handed seals, but until he could track down a book or someone who knew them, he was stuck.

They had been taught _henge_ at the beginning of the year, and recently _kawarimi_. Five months into the school year and Naruto was no closer to performing either, but he was pretty sure he could map out Kazuya’s chakra points and how his chakra flowed in his sleep. He just couldn’t figure out how to get his chakra flow to bypass his arm; he knew that the chakra did not necessarily flow down his arms and the seals were more for guiding the chakra within his body but he’d been repeatedly told by Yakushi-sensei that he couldn’t risk it.

 _‘Your arm can’t take the stress of channelling more than the amount required for it to function’_.

The only good thing that had come out of this training was that Kazuya’s ninjutsu was now the best out of all the kids in their class. As the older boy ran through _henge_ several more times, Naruto’s frustration grew as he failed to mimic the flow within his own body.

He had to graduate the academy; he couldn’t afford to get stuck here. His taijutsu kept improving through the exercises Gai had given them and the brace Ten-jiisan had created for him meant he hadn’t needed a cast in months. He even ranked third from last in the class after the last maths test, not dead-last! The ninjutsu was part of the final test though, so no matter how well he did in everything else, he had to learn these.

Naruto opened his eyes sullenly to see an image of Hana once again winking at him before changing back.

Why couldn’t he just be like everyone else? Why did the Kyūbi’s chakra have to affect him so much? Why was Yakushi-sensei so sure that his arm couldn’t take it?

Questions swirled around Naruto’s brain, doubt clouding his thoughts. If he could just use his left arm, then he could do _henge_. There wouldn’t be any problems and he would graduate just fine. Yakushi-sensei was probably overreacting like Kazuya did when he felt pain; he always recovered right?

Kazuya’s voice washed over him, the words mumbled and distant and Naruto looked down at his hands, considering. He stood abruptly, shoving off Kazuya’s grip on his shoulder. Running through the hand seals he had watched the brunet run through day after day for months, he was surrounded by smoke. Looking down, Naruto wasn’t sure he could express the joy that swelled within him at the sight of Kazuya’s clothes on his body.

He did it. He could do ninjutsu too, just like Hana and Kazuya and Hokage-jiji. His arm could take chakra like any other shinobi.

The euphoria he felt lasted a few seconds before he was enveloped by a second puff of smoke, reverting back to himself. The confusion only lasted a mere moment before he was forced to his knees. Blinding, excruciating pain overtaking all his senses. He felt himself coughing up something metallic tasting but he barely gave it a single thought.

All he could feel was pain, as if he were three years old again, lying amongst the ruins of his home. As if his arm were being ripped to shreds, his face pulsing with sharp agony.

He didn’t even notice when he succumbed to darkness.

* * *

Kazuya watched in horror as Naruto coughed up blood, falling to the ground with a twisted expression on his face. He knew his friend had been frustrated with the lack of progress, but he didn’t think the redhead would completely throw everything he had been warned about out the window.

He dropped to the ground beside him, mind blank as he watched Naruto’s pained expression, his scar almost enveloping his small face. His gaze moved to the blood on the grass and to the damp spots forming on the redhead’s arm. He remained frozen for a moment longer before the silence was broken by a wet cough. Startled, Kazuya looked at his friend’s face once more before his thoughts snapped back.

Gathering the younger boy in his arms, trying to avoid Naruto’s left, he stood and his legs trembled slightly. He had two years and a whole head of height on Naruto, but he struggled to keep the boy in his grip, taking his first steps towards the village. Luckily they weren’t that far out, but the twenty minutes that it would take to get back weighed heavily on the brunet’s mind every second that passed.

Just before he reached the outer edge of the village, Kazuya heard the loud bellowing of a spandex-covered jounin coming from a nearby training area. He swerved off course, heading directly to the shouting. Readjusting his grip on Naruto, he staggered into the field and spotted the bright green.

“GAI-SAN!”

He saw the bowl cut turn, his teeth briefly shining as he smiled before a horrified look crossed his face. He launched himself towards them, taking Naruto from the brunet’s arms.

“I’ll take him to the hospital. Make your way there as quickly as you can,” Gai shot out, arranging the boy in his arms so he could run.

“Ask for Yakushi-sensei,” Kazuya managed to get out before the pair became a blur, disappearing a second later.

Kazuya began to follow after them, his gait steadier without the extra weight. He felt a hand rest on his shoulder and flinched, spinning to stare at the man. A senbon poked out his mouth and a bandana cover straight brown hair. Teary pink eyes met calm brown.

“Is there anyone who needs to know he’s injured? A guardian or a teacher?”

Kazuya took a step back, glancing in the direction that Gai had taken off in.

“Who’re you?”

The man’s eyes widened slightly before a chuckle escaped him.

“I’m Genma, Gai’s genin teammate and tokubetsu jounin of Konoha. And yours?”

Kazuya looked down, wiping his eyes.

“Kazuya and Naruto. We go to the academy.”

“Naruto?” Genma shot out.

Kazuya eyed the jounin, confused. This wasn’t the first time that someone had overreacted to his friend’s name and he didn’t really get it.

“Yeah... he says that he was named after the Yondaime’s son.”

He could see this information turning over in Genma’s head.

“He’s got a brother but Naruto doesn’t want him anywhere near the hospital,” Kazuya answered his earlier question.

“That’s it?” the man frowned.

“Hokage-sama,” Kazuya added. “Or Kakashi-san if he’s in the village.”

The boy missed the shinobi’s eyebrow rising further.

“I’ll take you to the hospital, and then I will inform the Hokage,” the man decided, kneeling down and gesturing for Kazuya to climb onto his back.

Kazuya hesitated for a second before shaking it off and climbing onto Genma’s back. What mattered now was Naruto.

* * *

There was a distant beeping, constant and in sync with each beat of his heart. With each beep it got louder and Naruto could faintly discern people in the background. Caught between falling back into the darkness and finding out who was there, the decision was made when he heard the low voice of his godfather.

“Why were they...?”

He didn’t hear the rest of the question as the light seared his brain, being replaced by a heavy, cotton feeling when he snapped his eyes shut. Now he was slightly more aware the feeling was similar throughout his body. He didn’t think he could move if he tried.

“Naruto?”

He made another attempt at looking at the owner of the voice and the blurry view of a man slowly came into focus. It’s been years since he’d seen Jiraiya, or Ero-sennin as he and his mother had called him, but the man looked the same as he did the day of the Kyūbi attack. Looking past him, he saw Jiji frowning at him.

“Do you know where you are?” asked Jiraiya, bringing Naruto’s attention back to him.

“H-hosp-p-pital,” the boy croaked, throat like sandpaper.

He would recognise the itchy sheets and drab walls anywhere. He greedily drank the water Jiraiya held to his mouth.

“Do you know why you’re here?” Jiji spoke up.

Naruto’s brow scrunched slightly before he looked away, refusing to meet the hard gaze.

“Naruto.”

The boy felt like hunching his shoulders, trying to become a smaller target. He couldn’t tell if his body had obeyed yet. It was so heavy.

“Overdid it training.”

“That’s not the whole story, is it?”

Naruto’s eyes flicked over to the old man’s face and he would have flinched at the expression if he could.

“I... I used the normal seals for _henge_ and it worked; but then I changed back and all I could feel was...”

 _Pain_. The unspoken word echoed through the room. Naruto shifted uncomfortably, his body beginning to feel a bit more movable if still full of lead.

“You were told that you cannot use the normal hand seals, you were told _never_ to use your left arm for ninjutsu and you were told to have regular check-ups!” the Hokage thundered, each word growing louder than the next. “You disobeyed every single one and now you may never become a shinobi at all!”

Naruto’s head snapped towards the Hokage, regretting the sharp movement only a moment before the last statement sank in.

“W-What?”

Jiji let out a heavy sigh before sinking into the chair behind him. Naruto had never really realised how old the man was. He teased him about it sometimes, but right now the man had every single year etched into his face.

“Your chakra pathways in your arm were ruptured and corroded in the Kyūbi attack and since you were so young, we thought they would heal in time, allowing full use of your arm again. Even though you kept damaging them during the academy there was still a chance for a total recovery, since the incidents were mild.”

Naruto’s eyes were wide as he absorbed the words.

“When you used _henge_ , you completely ripped them apart. Not only that, but it was discovered that some of the Kyūbi’s chakra was stored in some of the cells in your arm. That was why it could never heal properly as it should have done. This chakra spread through your pathways and destroyed them further, meaning there is no chance of recovery.”

Naruto couldn’t identify all the emotions that were building as he latched onto the last four words. A tangled web of dread, horror, despair but as Jiji continued, Naruto felt like the worst was yet to come.

“You were unconscious for three weeks. I called Jiraiya here and he sealed your arm so you can never channel chakra through it again in the hopes of preventing further spread of the Kyūbi’s chakra. The seal is irreversible and while it cancels out the Kyūbi’s chakra it also cancels out yours in that limb. But Naruto...”

Naruto’s chest started to hurt, before he remembered he was supposed to breathe. He didn’t feel Jiraiya squeeze his hand.

“Some of the chakra made it to your chest. It made it to the cellular level before we realised what had happened, so it’s not in your chakra network anymore. There is little damage done but over time it will get worse, your organs will start to fail. Naruto, you’re... dying.”

Time stopped.

The noises in the room faded until his ragged breaths and thudding heart were the only things he heard.

 _Dying_.

The word bounced around his head.

Dead like his parents. Although he knew death, had felt someone’s chakra being snuffed out, the concept still felt beyond him. He couldn’t even being to process, to imagine. It seemed so far away. He was six, almost seven. He hadn’t always felt his age but right now he couldn’t think anything but how short his life had been.

Plus he felt fine. Still heavy and a bit achy but nothing like dying. He’d always thought dying meant you could feel it, feel yourself fading away or feel the pain. He didn’t. His chest felt fine.

This wasn’t supposed to happen. He was going to become a shinobi.

Who would look out for Rio?

He tuned back into the room, hearing the low arguing of the two men. Jiraiya thought they shouldn’t have told him. Naruto was glad they did. Despite everything he was feeling he’d rather know. He could shift his limbs now.

“What now?”

His voice was so small that the pair didn’t hear him until the third time.

Jiraiya came back to sit beside him.

“You just underwent the sealing procedure so you will feel heavy and groggy until the drugs wear off. After that you’ll spend some time recovering here before going back to the orphanage. You’ll have some time before you start at the civilian school-”

“Wait,” interrupted Naruto. “Civilian school?”

His godfather nodded.

“You can’t become a shinobi anymore so we’ve-”

“Why not?”

Jiraiya remained silent for a moment. His godchild looked so different from the last he had seen him. With his shoulder-length red hair and round cheeks, he was the spitting image of Kushina at this age. The long ragged scar down his face couldn’t hide that. The blue eyes, though, they were all Minato. They had the same look Minato used to give him when told he couldn’t do something. The brat usually went and did it anyway, successful every single time.

“I couldn’t use my arm before,” Naruto pointed out.

“Yes but your chest...”

Naruto’s gaze switched to Jiji.

“How...l-long?” he stammered out.

Hiruzen and Jiraiya shared a look before looking back at the child. He was so young, so small. It was obvious the news had rattled him, but they had not anticipated him to talk about it so soon. They really should have known that the young Uzumaki wouldn’t accept becoming a civilian. He had always had a remarkable focus for one so young. It reminded them so much of Minato.

“We do not know for sure but we estimate twenty years or so. Depending on the rate of erosion and any outside accelerants, it could be as few as ten years,” the Hokage answered.

Naruto picked out twenty years from the explanation, ignoring the rest.

“That’s ages away.”

Jiraiya sighed.

“Naruto, it would be dangerous for you. Without your arm in full health and the symptoms that are sure to appear in the future-”

“But...”

Both men remained silent at that word; more weight behind it that should be in any six years old’s voice.

“It’s dangerous for everyone. Even amazing ninja like Tou-chan and Kaa-chan...” Naruto frowned, “People die on missions and I’m... d-d-dying anyway...”

It seemed simple to him. He still couldn’t wrap his head around the whole death thing- it was too far away, too abstract- but staying in the village as a civilian wouldn’t change anything. He still needed to look out for Rio and being a shinobi was the best way to do that.

Hiruzen considered his words. The boy had been through so much, had lost so much. He had a maturity about him that he wasn’t supposed to have, not at this age. He figured it was because he was put into the academy so early but also that he had to grow up for his brother. To protect and provide for the only family he had left.

He broke off Jiraiya’s retort.

“You can continue in the academy.”

Blue eyes filled with hope while grey with shock.

“Sensei...”

“You can continue but there are rules you _will_ follow.”

Naruto nodded his head, wincing slightly at the remnants of his headache.

“First, you will not train unless under the supervision of a jounin. Second, you will train in the training grounds closest to the village. Third, you will have _weekly_ check-ups and you will follow everything they tell you and finally, if you feel anything, _anything_ , different or sore you get it checked immediately. Understood?”

“Yes, Hokage-sama.”

Hiruzen blinked in surprised at the honorific. Naruto had never used it before and the solemn expression on his face didn’t belong there either.

“I’ll become so good that you’ll never regret this,” the boy continued, his face breaking into a wide grin. “Believe it.”

Hiruzen found that he already did.

* * *

Not long after, Naruto was allowed other visitors and Kazuya burst into the room, pink-eyes wide and hair ruffled.

“Aka-chaaaaaaaaan!” he wailed.

He lunged in for a hug before slapping the younger boy on the head.

“Ow, what the fuck?”

Kazuya pinned him with a glare.

“If you ever do that again, I swear I’ll...”

“Knock me out? Put me in the hospital?” Naruto interrupted cheekily.

“I’ll replace all your clothes with neon pink spandex,” Kazuya retorted.

Naruto’s mouth hung open for a second before he dissolved into laughter.

“I mean it! With glitter!”

That only made Naruto laugh harder.

Once it died down, Naruto looked at his friend and startled at the wretched expression.

“I was really scared, Naruto. I mean, you just went down and there was blood and I wasn’t fast enough to get you to the hospital and...” Kazuya ran on, running out of oxygen at the end as he tried to keep back the sobs.

Naruto sobered.

“I’m sorry, Kazuya. I just got so... angry that I couldn’t do it and I didn’t think it would be this bad,” he explained. “But thank you, for what you did. Jiji told me.”

“What did they do?” His friend asked, pointing at the bandages that covered the redhead’s arm from fingertips to shoulder.

“They sealed my arm so I can never use chakra in it again. Ero-sennin said that the seals will look kind of like tattoos.”

“Ero-sennin?”

“Oh yeah, Jiraiya. I just call him that ‘cause he’s a massive pervert. At least that’s what Kaa-chan always said.”

Kazuya shot him a look, his eyes still glassy.

“You know I was kidding when I asked if you knew the Sannin, right?”

“Uh...”

“Seriously, the way everyone reacts to your name and the fact you know the Hokage, the _copy-nin_ AND Jiraiya-sama. What the hell?” Kazuya asked, completely puzzled.

Naruto looked away.

“Kazuya, there is a reason for all that but I can’t tell you.”

The brunet opened his mouth to argue but Naruto continued.

“Yet, anyway. Rio deserves to know first and I have to wait until he’s older.”

Kazuya closed his mouth, pink eyes swirling with one thought after another, before he seemed to come to a decision.

“Okay, Aka-chan. I’ll wait. But what did you mean never use chakra?”

“I mean, that I can’t use chakra in my arm. Like ever,” Naruto replied. “Before it could’ve healed and I could’ve used it like you but now I can’t. And...”

Kazuya waited as Naruto fell silent.

“And?”

Naruto looked over at his friend, slightly less upset than when he was when he entered. If he could trust anyone it would be Kazuya, right? He sighed.

“Well...”

* * *

Three weeks later, Naruto was allowed to leave the hospital. Kazuya had taken the news about as well as Naruto expected but he had promised to keep quiet, even to Hana. He felt a bit better knowing Kazuya had his back. His friend visited almost every day after the academy and made sure he was caught up on the work. Hana often joined them, but they always said it was a training accident when she asked why Naruto was there.

The Inuzuka visited a few times, bringing Rio with them. Naruto didn’t like his brother seeing him like this so he made sure that Tsume would limit the visits. By the sound of it, Rio wasn’t doing well in his absence, even with Kiba and Kazuya there.

When he was finally discharged, Kazuya and Jiraiya came to pick him up, Rio waiting for him at the Inuzuka compound. He was to have the bandages off before he left since his arm had healed nicely. Apparently, once the pathways healed up in the absence of chakra they wouldn’t become damaged again like before since there was no chakra or anything to disrupt them anymore. He would still be able to use it physically, although it would always be weaker. It was virtually a chakra dead-zone.

When Yakushi-sensei unravelled the bandages he had heard a gasp from Kazuya. Naruto had seen it before when his bandages were changed but it was still a shock every time he saw it. Black lines that overlapped the chakra pathways were the predominant feature but there were swirls and lines made up of symbols and kanji. It started at the top of his shoulder and stopped at his fingertips. Jiraiya checked over his work once more, nodding to himself. He was told by the Sannin that it would need to be adapted and modified as he grew up but it would hold for the next few years.

Once free from the starched white walls, Naruto threw himself into training. He was alright on the book stuff since Kazuya helped him in the hospital but his taijutsu was worse and he had yet to figure out how to do _henge_. He knew he had to track down a jounin to supervise and Gai-san was more than willing to help them with their taijutsu but he couldn’t help them much on the ninjutsu.

A week after he left the hospital, Jiraiya came to Naruto’s aid.

“Hey, _gaki_ ,” the man said, walking up to the redhead.

Naruto looked up from his history textbook. A few metres behind him, Kazuya and Hana were competing to see who could control the most rocks, the three puppies lazing around them. Kazuya had reached seven while Hana was at six, repeatedly trying to add her seventh. The few times that Naruto tracked down Kakashi or Gai with a few hours to spare, the first thing he had tried was the leaf exercise. He had practiced regulating his chakra in the hospital when there was no one around to yell at him for it but it wasn’t the same.

As he added leaf after leaf Naruto had noticed it. It was easier. Before he’d had to regulate it while actively keeping it away from his left arm; something that had taken months to get a hold of. That had been the point of starting so early on his chakra control, to bypass his arm. Now though, he could just let it circulate his body, the chakra never passing the barrier that the seals created. Although it did some getting used to, proven by the many bruises he had accumulated by either rocks falling on him or falling out of trees.

So his chakra control was better than ever, but he was unable to translate it into ninjutsu.

“I’m not doing anything so I don’t need supervision,” was the first thing out of his mouth, making sure his godfather knew he was keeping to the rules.

“I know, that’s not what I’m here for. I... what is on your arm?”

Naruto looked down at the black brace.

“Ten-jiisan gave it to me, it’s a brace. Helps me in fights,” Naruto replied.

He’d barely taken the thing off unless it was to sleep or bathe.

“Interesting design. Anyway _gaki_ , I, the great Jiraiya-sama, have decided to sacrifice some of my precious research time to help you,” the Sannin announced, striking his trademark pose.

The redhead looked at him with an eyebrow raised. Jiraiya internally wept. What had happened to the toddler who had clapped and giggled at his presence?

The pair looked behind them at the sound of a yelp, watching Hana rub her knee while the rocks were spread out around her. Kazuya started to laugh, forgetting his own exercise and let out his own yell when the rock he had been holding above him fell on his head. Hana then began to mock him and it quickly dissolved into a taijutsu battle.

Naruto turned back to Jiraiya, with a bright smile on his face.

“With what, Ero-sennin?”

Jiraiya grumbled for a moment, Naruto catching the words ‘respect’ and ‘brat’ and ‘redheads’, before he once again focused.

“One-handed seals.”

Naruto’s eyes widened and he shot up, the textbook abandoned to the side.

“What?”

“I’ve heard that you’ve been trying to learn them for months, even before the accident. So I’ve decided to help you,” Jiraiya answered.

Naruto’s eyes filled with wonder and he seemed to vibrate with energy and excitement.

“Okay, show me,” he demanded, focussing his sensing ability and waiting to sense the pathway the Sannin’s chakra would take.

Jiraiya’s eyes narrowed a fraction before he put his goofy smile back into place. His godson had come a long way with his sensing ability; it almost reminded him of the Byakugan. Of course Naruto could only sense chakra, not see it but it seemed the boy had fine-tuned it enough that he could achieve the same effect at close quarters. However, he doubted his range had improved much.

He’d missed the last three years of his godson’s life and the first three years of Minato’s youngest. He figured he at least owed Naruto the help with his ninjutsu. He still watched out for them however he could, keeping up to date with Naruto’s progression through the academy and Rio’s life with the Inuzuka. He knew he couldn’t stay; not only did he have his network to manage but he wasn’t cut out to look after children. They were better off where they were. He could teach them a few things when he was here and maybe one day Naruto could even sign the toad summoning contract or come travelling with him.

And... although Naruto had his mother’s face, he had his father’s eyes; their determination to succeed. He didn’t think he could look at the boys every day and be reminded of what he had lost. No, it was better that he stayed away. He buried the voice inside him screaming ‘coward’.

“Alright then, pay close attention then copy me.”


	8. Three Different Kinds of Exam Takers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Rio realises the rest of the village exists and Naruto has to sit another exam

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all!
> 
> First of all, thank you so so so much to the people who have left comments and kudos on this story! It really helps me with my confidence to receive those notifications and I'm glad you are enjoying a story that very much started as a self-indulgent plot bunny (but without the plot and more like a character study).
> 
> I have the next 6 chapters already written up but since I'm starting to catch up I might upload them a bit slower. Plus I'm moving around 300 miles next week so my time is limited at the moment.
> 
> I really hope you enjoy this chapter! You'll get to see things from Rio's perspective for the first time! His point of view will start to pop up more now.

Naruto knew Kazuya had been planning something. He knew at the beginning of third year and he decided to leave his friend to it, thinking if it was _really_ important then the brunet would tell them in good time. Good time meaning they would have enough time to prepare for whatever the boy had schemed up.

In the future, he would make sure to call out Pinku-baka’s bullshit the moment he suspected.

Naruto looked at the bundle of forms in front of him, before glancing at Hana. She shrugged back at him, just as clueless before they both looked at the culprit.

“Pinku-baka, why have you given us the forms to apply for early graduation?” Naruto asked suspiciously.

“Clue’s in the name, Aka-chan,” Kazuya rolled his eyes as he took his seat at the table.

The trio were in the Inuzuka compound today, babysitting Kiba while Tsume was out on business. The toddlers were in the next room competing on who could draw the scariest monster. The older trio were sitting around the dinner table, initially studying for the end of year test before Kazuya dropped the bomb.

“There is no way they are going to let us skip another year,” Naruto sighed.

“We’ve already proven we can do it though,” argued Kazuya. “There’s no real reason they should say no, ‘cause if we’re not ready then we fail and have to do the year anyway.”

“We’re nowhere near ready, though,” Hana pointed out. “I mean we’ve barely covered the fourth year stuff and Naruto was only in the hospital a few months ago...”

“Hey, what do you mean ‘only’? It’s been almost six months,” Naruto snapped.

He hated when people brought that up. Thankfully Yakushi-sensei had dropped his check-ups to once a month now, but everyone still thought he was fragile despite all the progress he had made.

“You know what I mean, Naru. None of us are ready.”

“We can be,” Kazuya reasoned, leaning forward on the table. “We _have_ covered the fourth year stuff; we just need to revise it properly. Your taijutsu is strong and mine and Aka-chan’s should be good enough. We can all do the three jutsu.”

“I still can’t do _bunshin_ , like, seven times out of ten,” piped up Naruto.

“I can’t break out of genjutsu,” added Hana.

“You can’t do _kawarimi_ ,” they both said together, high-fiving at their synchronicity.

Kazuya scowled at their laughter.

“I can so!”

“You never swap with the right object, Pinku-baka.”

“You tried to swap with a chair and ended up swapping with a desk two classrooms over. Yesterday.”

“So we all have a few improvements to make. That’s why we have a month to fix them,” Kazuya waved off the snickering.

The mirth died down at the two looked seriously down at their forms.

“Can...can we really be ready in a month?” wondered Hana, chewing her lip.

“We’ve done this in half the time before,” Kazuya pointed out.

“But this is graduation, the final test.” Doubt still clouded her expression.

Naruto stared at the form. He’d promised Jiji that he wouldn’t regret letting him continue to train as a shinobi. Maybe if he graduated early, well _earlier_ , then he could show Jiji how serious he is. He could prove that he wasn’t going to let his health hold him back.

“What’s the plan?” Naruto looked at his friend, his face set in determination.

Hana stared at the redhead in surprise before turning to look at Kazuya. The brunet unleashed a devious grin.

“The training from Hell.”

* * *

Uzumaki Norio lived a simple life.

Living at the orphanage with his brother, going to the park, spending his days with Kiba at his house, going for ramen with Kashi, helping Jiji. That was all he knew.

He remembered the days before Nii-san went to the academy. Sure, Nii-san had spent most of his days with books and nobody wanted to be friends with him; but they had each other. Nii-san was always there.

Now though, Rio noticed that Nii-san wasn’t around as much. Ever since the first time Nii-san and Kazu-nee had left him with Kiba and his mum, the pair disappeared hours at a time along with Kiba’s Nee-chan. Rio wasn’t really complaining. He had made his first friend and even though Kiba annoyed him sometimes and made fun of him for his hair, Rio wouldn’t trade him for anything. He had hope that he could keep making more and more friends forever.

Then Nii-san ended up in hospital and the worst six weeks of Rio’s short life began.

He still hung out with Kiba during the day, but he knew something was wrong with his brother. Nobody would tell him what it was or why and he was only allowed to visit Nii-san a few times. He still had to go back to the orphanage for bedtime and it was those times that he really felt the absence of his brother.

He knew the matron didn’t like him. She’d never spoken to him other than to glare before, always talking to Nii-san when she had to. With Nii-san gone, she started to yell at him more than any of the other kids and sometimes didn’t give him breakfast, saying he was a bad boy. Rio still couldn’t figure out what he had done. She never heard his cries either when the other kids ganged up on him; calling him names and taking away his stuff. They even tried to take Inu-chan away from him, but that was the only time they failed. The matron had locked him in a cupboard as punishment for hurting the other kids. They had a favourite word though; one they’d heard the matron call him a few times.

 _Monster_.

Rio couldn’t understand why this was happening. He knew that they didn’t like him, but why do these things to him? Why was he a monster? Even the villagers seemed colder, harsher; but as Rio thought about it he’d never really looked at them before, too busy talking to Nii-san or Kazu-nee. Kazu-nee was the one to walk with him between the orphanage and Kiba’s house, but he didn’t talk as much. Rio could see that he was making an effort to be cheerful around him, but it was so fake; he missed Nii-san too.

There was no sign of Kashi; Nii-san had told him before he went to the hospital that he was on another mission.

Then Nii-san came back and everything went back to the way it was. He never told his brother about what happened while he was away, he didn’t want to worry him and after they saw Nii-san, it stopped. They still glared at him but after one kid shouted monster at him at breakfast, Nii-san had dragged the kid outside. That evening, Rio had overheard the same kid whining about his broken nose.

The next day at breakfast, no one spoke a word to Rio. Any time the matron looked as though she was going to speak to him, Nii-san intervened.

Rio began to see Nii-san in a new light. He had never really noticed these things before, but now he could see each time Nii-san prevented something bad from happening; every time he spoke to the matron, glared at the kids, glowered at the villagers. Nii-san was protecting him.

Rio remembered a conversation he’d had with Jiji before he met the Inuzuka. He’d asked Jiji what a Hokage was and Jiji had they were the strongest ninja in the village, the greatest protectors of the Will of Fire (whatever that was). Maybe if Rio was Hokage, he could protect his brother and make sure no one was mean to them ever again. He could protect Kazu-nee and Kiba and Kashi.

He could protect his family too.

* * *

To say that Hideki-sensei was not impressed when they presented him with the forms the day before the test would be like saying Naruto was only slightly partial to ramen. They hadn’t even had time to place their forms on the table before Hideki-sensei belted out a resounding _no_. Naruto looked at Kazuya, hoping his friend could see the ‘I fucking told you this would happen’ in his eyes. The bastard ignored him.

For the next hour Hana and Naruto stood back, watching as Kazuya threw every single argument he could think of at their sensei. As the minutes rolled by, Naruto was suddenly very glad he was on Kazuya’s side as he witnessed his friend actually succeeding at wearing down their sensei. At the 86 minute mark, Hideki-sensei let out a massive sigh, silencing Kazuya’s next remark and he flopped into his chair. He looked over at them.

“Do you really think you can pass? Graduation is very different than the test you took to get into second year,” he sighed, resigned.

“We’re ready,” Hana declared, Naruto nodding beside her.

Kazuya hadn’t been kidding about the Hell part of their training. Naruto had never been so tired, even when they were preparing for second year. It was worth it though and now they could see if it all paid off.

“Even you, Naruto? You know how far behind you compared to these two and with your medical history...” Hideki-sensei trailed off, glancing at Naruto’s arm. “You passing would be luck really, these two have dragged you this far. You have to take the final exam on your own.”

“I can do it,” Naruto shot back.

Hideki-sensei let out another long sigh before surveying them all.

“Fine, but be prepared to be disappointed.”

Naruto didn’t miss the not-so-subtle glance his way.

* * *

It was finally the morning of the test. As the fourth year class filed in, the three additions waited until all had grabbed their seats before entering the classroom. Showing the sensei their signed forms, he stared dubiously at them before recognition seemed to light up his eyes.

“Didn’t you three already advance a year?”

“Yes...” Kazuya waited to see if the sensei would make his point known.

The sensei just stared at them a moment longer before shaking his head and waving his hand in the direction of some empty seats. Sitting down the brunet looked over to his friends, seeing Hana’s nervous look and Naruto’s...

“Aka-chan?”

The redhead barely heard him, his heartbeat pounding in his ears. What was he doing? He wasn’t ready. He wasn’t like his friends, he wasn’t special, he just happened to pass that second year test. It was luck. He still struggled with _bunshin_ and he was going to mess up the written test and he was going to fail and the other two would pass and they would graduate and he would be alone...

“Naruto!”

His head snapped up as he looked into a pair of worried pink eyes.

“It’ll be okay, you’re ready.”

“We’ve gotten this far,” added Hana.

Naruto nodded before busying himself with ensuring his hair was secured. Hana had kept her promise to help him with his hair and now he could confidently use four different styles. His favourite was the half-up, half-down; when he was doing taijutsu or training, he could just tie up the bottom half with another hair tie. The trio’s heads were drawn to the front as the sensei began to speak.

“Alright, welcome to the graduation exam. First, there will be the written portion and it will include everything you have covered these past four years. We’ll then move onto the practical portion; consisting of weapon-handling, a brief taijutsu spar, and breaking out of an E-rank genjutsu. Finally, you will be asked to perform at least two of the E-rank ninjutsu you have been taught. We will choose which ones. You will be told whether you have passed or failed after the ninjutsu portion, as we’ll tally up your marks as the day goes on. Any student caught cheating fails automatically and will have to redo their final year. Any questions?”

The class remained silent and the sensei started to pass out the test papers. Naruto stared down at the front sheet, before picking up his brush and filling in his name.

“You have an hour. Start,”

Naruto turned over the page and read over the first question. Nope. He moved onto the second. Also no. The third. He could do the third one. He’ll go back to the other two later. And back to the fourth too.

He made his way through the test, slowly acclimatising to the types of question. Close to the end of the time, he went back to the first two, finding they weren’t as daunting as when he first laid eyes on them. Maybe he could do this. Nope, only the first one. He rapidly scribbled answers that seemed right into the spaces for the second and fourth as the sensei called time. As his paper was taken away, Naruto let his head fall to the desk, suddenly remembering two other questions he’d left unanswered.

“Now make your way to the targets outside. No talking.”

Naruto stood and looked over to his friends, shrugging at their questioning gazes. He probably failed, but at this point he had other tests to worry about. He’ll be miserable later, with ramen to soften the blow. He tied the lower half of his hair back.

The next part of the test went much more smoothly, Naruto sinking 5 of his kunai and 4 of his shuriken into the target, only missing the one shuriken. They were pretty close to the centre too. As the sensei read out his score (71/100, take that Hideki-sensei), he started to feel a bit better about the whole thing. He was always better at the hands-on stuff anyway. His friends did well too, Hana with a score of 87 and Kazuya with 79.

Next was the taijutsu portion and they had pit him against an Akimichi. Again. His ‘Red Leg’ style was still shoddy but he was faster and more flexible than he’d been in the second year test. He was much fitter too, thanks to Gai-san’s training advice and he had his brace. He was feeling good about this.

He watched as Kazuya faced off against a female Uchiha, wincing as his friend was slammed against the ground and the match was called. The Uchiha were a force to be reckoned with, but Kazuya lasted longer than the rest of the class had expected. In contrast, the no-clan student who faced Hana, his face twisted into a sneer as he mocked her for both her age and gender was launched out of the ring within two minutes. Naruto smirked as he high-fived her on her way back to their small group; that guy had lost the moment he had stepped into the ring.

Then it was his turn. He bounced on the balls of his feet as he watched his opponent shoot the same look to the sensei that his fellow clan member had over a year ago. He clenched his fists tighter. When the match started, the Akimichi started with the same slow punch as his clan-member the first time and Naruto repeated his same first moves, jabbing into the armpit and kicking the back of the legs.

This time though as he buzzed around the ring, he used his legs to land hits while utilising his arms for balance. He danced out of the way of meaty fists that were faster now that the Akimichi boy realised that he couldn’t land a hit. As Naruto wore the other boy down, the older kid managed to land a strong hit, sending the redhead to the ground. He kicked him in the stomach but Naruto used the momentum to get back on his feet, if a bit unsteadily. The Akimichi landed another hit on him, softened by the brace as Naruto blocked and jumped away, close to the edge of the ring. As the older boy charged him, hoping to end the spar, Naruto looked down and an idea popped in his head. This would either win him the match or it would really hurt. Or both.

As the Akimichi loomed over him, Naruto dove between his legs; for the first time thankful that he was so small. Rolling into a stand, Naruto turned and jumped, slamming both feet into the Akimichi’s back. The bigger boy stumbled forward, his hands outside the ring as he fell to his knees. The match was called as Naruto slammed into the ground, his breath leaving him suddenly and the back of his head throbbing. He climbed to his feet and made his way over to Hana and Kazuya, both grinning their faces off. His own was probably just as wide and he ignored the shocked faces of the class around them, taking out the bottom hair tie and shaking out the kinks that had formed around the hair tie.

The three of them passed the genjutsu portion easily and for the final part of the test, they were individually called into a separate room to perform their jutsu. It was done in alphabetical order, unlike the taijutsu matches, and Kazuya was up first. Naruto and Hana stared at the door for 10 minutes until Kazuya walked out, forehead protector around his neck and a spring in his step. The rest of the class were processed, some successful while others not. Hana’s turn came up and she walked through the door 15 minutes later with her headband on her forehead and the Haimaru brothers circling her feet.

Naruto’s nerves got worse as time went on and more kids filed out with their results. As the kid before him came out in tears, missing a headband, Naruto stood and nodded to his friends. Heading into the room, he stood in front of the sensei, two of them now and awaited instructions.

“Uzumaki Naruto, perform _kawarimi_ with the chair in the corner of the room. Then swap back.”

He looked over and let out a breath, performing the one-handed seal Ero-sennin had taught him five months ago and swapped with the chair, pausing for a second before going back to the centre of the room, the chair in its previous position. He spotted the surprised looks on their faces, probably not expecting the unusual seals.

“Now perform _henge_. Change into either a family member or someone you admire.”

Naruto silently cheered, thanking whatever Kami-sama that was out there that it wasn’t _bunshin_. He considered it for a moment before a cloud of smoke surrounded him. When it cleared the two chunin could have sworn they’d seen a ghost.

Namikaze Minato stood before them, in his uniform and iconic red and white coat, twirling a three-pronged _Hiraishin_ kunai in his right hand. A confident smile was on his angular face, framed by untamed blond locks, and his blue eyes shone with a strange mixture of amusement and sadness. The chunin would have had trouble telling him from the real Yondaime, had he been alive. Smoke clouded their view of him and Naruto reappeared, the change jarring them slightly.

Naruto watched them note something down, still amused by his image. They would probably never believe that he had chosen both options rather than just the hero one. It wasn’t even the first image that had come to mind. The most distinct memory of his father he had wasn’t the same as the rest of Konoha, as the one he had just shown. No, Naruto remembered his father coming from the kitchen, no headband or flakjacket, just his regular clothes with a pink apron over them. A tender smile on his face as he watched his wife and son go over the alphabet.

But he was just a no name orphan. It would be suspicious if he had shown that, especially if the Yondaime was just his hero. He snapped out of his musings as the sensei began to speak.

“Congratulations, Uzumaki. You have passed the exams. In summary, your written test was poor, barely scraping the pass mark, but you made up for it with your practical skills. You ranked dead-last out of those who passed, but you are now a Genin of Konoha.”

He held out a headband and Naruto stepped forward and took it, trying to contain his joy. He tied it around his left arm on the brace with some difficulty, before he left to enter the classroom. He spotted Hana and Kazuya looking at him and he raised his arm, the afternoon sun glinting off the metal.

The rest was a blur, some kids they didn’t recognise being named Rookie and Kunoichi of the Year and instructions for those who passed to return to the classroom tomorrow morning. The three only just managed to keep their joy contained until they got outside, yelling and screaming and proudly proclaiming to the world that they were officially ninja of Konoha.

* * *

The time passed in a blink of an eye and suddenly it was the next morning, the three seated in the same place as the previous day while they waited for the sensei to arrive and slot them into teams. They weren’t oblivious to the stares from the other kids but they ignored them in favour of wondering about the teams.

It hadn’t really occurred to them before, but they could be split up. After two years of helping each other, working together, hanging out, they could be thrust into completely alien teams. As the sensei finally walked in with the list, a file of jounin moving to stand in a line behind him, the three tensed.

“Congratulations again to those who are here. I will now read off the teams and who your jounin-sensei will be. Once called, you will follow your jounin out and you’ll be out of my hands. Now, Team 1...”

The sensei started to list off names and the students filed out, the room emptying quickly.

“Team 7 is Arai Kazuya, Inuzuka Hana and Uzumaki Naruto. Your jounin-sensei will be Shiranui Genma.”

The trio exchanged delighted glances before spotting their new sensei. Kazuya’s mouth opened slightly in recognition; the man who’d been with Gai-san that day. The man smirked around his senbon and waved for them to follow. The three scrambled and followed the man to the roof of the academy, seating themselves on the steps as he leaned on the rails. The Haimaru brothers settled down behind Hana.

“So, you’re the infamous trouble trio?” were the first words out of his mouth.

“Trouble trio?

“Infamous?”

“You guys are not only responsible for what is known by the academy chunin as ‘Hell Week’ and notorious for abandoning the curriculum, but all three of you graduated in only two years,” he elaborated.

The three students exchanged glances, not quite sure what to say.

“Anyway, introductions. State your name, age, what you like, don’t like, strongest and weakest skills, hobbies and dreams for the future. Inuzuka you first and we’ll go round.”

“We already know this though,” pointed out Kazuya.

“I don’t.”

Hana shrugged and began to speak.

“I’m Inuzuka Hana and I’m ten; these three behind me are the Haimaru brothers. I like meat, helping Kaa-chan, my clan and training. I don’t like bullies, animals being hurt or being underestimated just ‘cause I’m a girl. My strongest skills are my clan techniques and taijutsu. I’m weak against genjutsu. My hobbies are helping out Kaa-chan and training. I want to be the best veterinarian in my clan.”

Kazuya grinned at her before starting.

“I’m Arai Kazuya and I’m nine. I like dango, reading and training. I don’t like my uncle or stuff that bores me. My strongest skills are studying and coming up with plans. My weak points are my taijutsu and _kawarimi_. My hobbies are reading, hanging out at the park and training. I haven’t really thought about my dream,” he finished uncertainly, frowning.

“And finally, the redhead.”

“I’m Uzumaki Naruto and I’m seven. I like my brother, my friends, ramen, training and the colour orange. I hate hospitals, studying and people who are mean to my brother and friends. My strongest skills are my sensing ability and chakra control. My weak points are ninjutsu and studying. My hobbies are training and hanging out in the park. My dream is to be a strong shinobi like my parents and to be able to protect my brother.”

Genma raised a single eyebrow.

“You all like training?”

The students remained silent and just waited.

“Well, you know my name and I’m older than I look. I like senbon and I don’t like power-plays. I’m strong enough to be a tokubetsu jounin. My hobbies are... I’ll tell you when you’re older. My dream is to retire peacefully and... I’ll tell you when you’re older too,” Genma finished, relaxing against the rails.

“So,” he continued, ignoring their annoyance. “Normally there would be an extra test after this that would test your teamwork but you guys are a special case.”

“Wait, extra test?” Hana exclaimed.

“Yeah, we pit you against each other to see if you can work as a team or not but you guys have been teammates for a while now, right? If we’d told you only two can become genin what would you have done?”

“We’d figure out a way for all of us to be genin, dattebayō!” Naruto announced, standing and glaring at the jounin. “We only got this far ‘cause of each other.”

“Exactly. We didn’t think we should bother wasting time on a test you’ve been passing for two years. Your teamwork is the best out of all the genin teams already, some chunin teams even,” Genma shrugged, pushing away from the rails. “So instead, we’re going to see what you can really do and then tomorrow we’ll start on missions and training.”

He began to walk casually down the stairs but when no one followed he turned. His three new genin were staring after him.

“So we pass? Whatever this second test was supposed to be?” Kazuya insisted.

“Yeah, now come on,” Genma turned back and resumed walking, hearing the scrabble of footsteps behind him.

* * *

Early the next morning, before they met up with the rest of the team Naruto and Kazuya were summoned to a plain block of flats with Rio in tow, the blond still rubbing sleep from his eyes. Naruto felt the same way and he knew his teammates would too. Genma-sensei really went all out yesterday, getting them to display every single skill and technique they had. Naruto knew his chakra supply was larger than most, but even he was drained by the end.

“Any idea why Hokage-sama would want us to come here?” Kazuya inquired, staring up at the building.

“I think so,” answered Naruto, beginning to climb the stairs to Flat 9A.

He ignored the rest of Kazuya’s questions as he came to the flat door. It was slightly ajar and Naruto pushed it open, herding Rio through the door. Jiji was waiting for them in the centre of the room.

It was a regular flat; a kitchen to their left and a lounge straight in front combining to form one large room. In the left wall there were two doors and it was mirrored in the right. A large window occupied the back wall. Naruto could see that the closest door on the right was a bathroom.

“Jiji?”

“Well done to you both on your graduation,” Jiji congratulated. “Youngest collective team to come out of the academy.”

“Thank you, Hokage-sama,” Kazuya beamed, bowing to him.

“Naruto, we made a deal. When you became a genin, you could move out of the orphanage,” Jiji chuckled. “I’ll admit that I thought that it would be further in the future. Welcome to your new home.”

Naruto gaped at the room once again.

“What? Seriously?”

“Yes. Since you are genin you are ineligible for the Orphan’s Allowance, but you’ll receive it for Norio-chan. I’ve paid the first month’s bills but after that you will need to use the money earned during missions.”

Naruto let go of Rio’s hand and flew into the Hokage, hugging him tightly.

“Thank you, Jiji,” he sobbed, smiling despite the tears.

The Sandaime smiled down at him before looking at Kazuya.

“I knew of your intentions to move in with them. There are three rooms and one of them will be yours.”

Kazuya was struck dumb.

Hiruzen looked at the three boys; one still in his arms, one motionless in shock and the last rubbing his eyes, confused. It was the least he could do for Minato’s boys and he knew that Kazuya was as close as family by this point. Naruto finally stepped back and wiped his eyes. He turned and kneeled beside Rio, catching his attention.

“Hey, Sunshine. This is our new home. No more orphanage and Kazu-nee is going to stay with us,” he grinned, his cheeks glistening.

“Go and get your things,” Sarutobi waved them off. “I’ll watch Rio here until you return.”

He watched fondly as Kazuya finally shook himself out of it and proceeded to repeatedly thank and bow to him. Eventually Naruto managed to drag him out the door but before they left he called out on last time.

“Your keys!” he called, throwing a set to each genin.

They caught them and grinned, waving goodbye to the Hokage.

* * *

They managed to move their stuff in but there was no time to organise it; the two older ones had to meet up with their team and Rio needed to be dropped off at the Inuzuka compound before that. Their stuff was dumped in the living room, ready to be sorted once they decided whose room was whose.

Although the apartment was still new and unfamiliar, stuck onto the fridge was the card from Naruto’s sixth birthday, the drawing of the three boys bright and cheery. The beginnings of a real home.


	9. Teamwork Means Never Suffering Alone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the new Team 7 has fun with paint and Naruto and Kazuya pick up new hobbies

The new team barely made it to the training ground they were to meet on time, Genma already waiting for them. At his raised eyebrow, Naruto quickly shot out an excuse.

“We got lost on the road of life?”

He remembered Kakashi saying that once and it seemed to work. Genma’s eyes widened slightly before he started laughing.

“We had a late start and then had to drop Rio-chan off,” Kazuya filled in, looking at Naruto strangely.

Genma waved them off.

“You’re on time. Now, today we’re going to start with dodge training and then move onto new chakra control exercises. Finally, we’re going to complete our first D-rank,” he declared, a smile still tugging his lips. He would need to speak with Kakashi at some point.

“Dodge training?” Hana piped up.

“I throw, you dodge,” Genma replied, pointing to the border of tree at the edge of the training ground. “One of you, go and stand in front of the trees. You can’t hide in them and you have to last at least five minutes. You get hit, you start the five minutes over again.”

The three shared a look before Hana stepped forward, ordering the pups to stay back.

“Guess I’ll go first.”

She went over to the tree line and the two boys went to find a place with a good view. They plonked themselves down as their new sensei went to stand a good twenty metres from the oldest genin.

An hour later, Hana staggered over to them, falling to the ground and attempting to catch her breath. Genma-sensei had used blunt kunai but put bright red paint on them and Hana’s whole outfit was covered in the stuff.

“That was...harder...than I...expected,” she wheezed out, her dogs starting to swarm her.

Naruto and Kazuya remained silent; it _looked_ a lot harder than any of them expected. They knew that their sensei was holding back, but it didn’t look like it at all. Some of them they hadn’t even seen been thrown.

“So who’s next?” Genma chuckled, casually swinging a kunai by its hoop.

Kazuya sighed heavily before standing, brushing off some dirt.

“Let’s do this.”

Another hour later, Kazuya collapsed next to his teammates. There was very little purple left on his shirt and he had dozens of red splotches on his face. By now Hana had recovered and she stared down at him in sympathy, glad for someone else to understand the pain of this exercise.

“I...thought I was...fit...but...fuck...that was a diff-...different kind of fit.”

“Come on, guys,” goaded Genma, walking over. “You were only at it an hour. True, it requires a different kind of flexibility and movement compared to taijutsu but it will be useful in the long run.”

His gaze landed on Naruto, and the redhead gulped despite himself. Rising to his feet and tying his hair back, he walked over to the tree line, adjusting his brace. Turning to face the jounin, he grinned.

“Bring it.”

Only half an hour later, Naruto went to stand next to his friends as they got to their feet.

“Probably helps being half the target we are,” Kazuya teased, looking over his mostly clean friend.

“You’re just jealous,” Naruto shot back, smirking at the older boy.

Hana rolled her eyes.

“Alright, so Naruto has the greatest speed and flexibility out of all of you, but he lacks power. You two are about average at the moment, so we’ll do this five times a week, at the start of training,” Genma summarised. “Now we’ll move onto chakra control before lunch.”

He led them further into the field, the sound of a stream reaching their ears. Genma stopped next to the stream and pointed the trees nearby.

“Kazuya, Hana you’ll be learning tree climbing. You know the basics so I want you to get at least halfway up the tree in the next three hours,” he said, throwing a couple of sharpened kunai at their feet. “Naruto, you’ll be doing water-walking and you should be able to take five steps without sinking by lunch. I’ll be nearby if you need help.”

The trio nodded and left to do their tasks. Naruto shed his t-shirt and sandals, keeping his shorts and brace, having tried this a couple times before. He already knew he was going to have a very cold, very wet morning.

The morning passed quickly as they focussed on their exercises. There had been a few mishaps along the way; resulting in many bruises and sneezes. Kazuya had asked Naruto to demonstrate how it was done after he’d exploded a part of the tree from too much chakra, causing Naruto to startle and sink. The younger genin readily agreed, eager to escape the water even for a short while.

He had walked up and down slowly, talking through it until he stepped on one of the ruined parts. Surprised, he lost control for a moment and gravity took hold. He stuck his arm out to make sure he didn’t fall, but for some insane reason he couldn’t recall, it was his left. So no matter how much chakra he tried to pump through to his hand, it had no effect as the chakra could not pass the seal.

Fortunately, it wasn’t that high up but it still hurt; his back and his pride. He walked up and down the tree a few more times to reaffirm himself before he went back to water-walking.

Eventually, lunch arrived and Naruto succeeded in talking them all into going to Ichiraku’s. He demolished 4 bowls of miso ramen with almost no breath taken between each bite, Hana and Kazuya munching slowly on their chicken and pork respectively.

When they turned up at the mission assignment desk, the Hokage looked them over in amusement. All three covered in red paint; the taller two with leaves poking out from various places and the third still damp.

“Your first D-rank?” he guessed, watching Genma nod.

“Yup,” he smirked, senbon rolling around his lips.

“I have just the one for you,” the Hokage decided, digging out a scroll from the pile.

He handed it over to Genma and the smirk widened. The three genin looked at the men in confusion, trying to sneak a peek at the scroll.

“Alright, Team 7, for your first mission we are going to paint a fence.”

Genma watched his genins’ faces fall, a few glances to the scroll in disappointment.

“No travelling? No saving princesses?” Naruto grumbled quietly.

“More paint?” Kazuya muttered beside him.

Genma just continued to smirk, herding them out of the room to start their mission.

* * *

The next day as Genma dismissed them, he caught Naruto with the word ‘hospital’. Apparently, not only was the redhead due for a check-up but Genma was required to attend all appointments while he was their jounin-sensei. The genin was not impressed. After sending Hana and Kazuya ahead, Naruto dragged his feet towards the hospital while Genma strolled casually beside him.

“So I got the gist of the story, but I’d like to hear it from you,” he prompted, looking down at his student.

Naruto sighed, resigning himself.

“I got hurt in the Kyūbi attack; my arm and face got fucked up,” he mumbled.

Genma waited a moment, but no more seemed to be coming.

“How do you know Kakashi?”

Naruto’s head snapped to his sensei, confusion written across his features.

“Your excuse yesterday, it was one of his,” Genma chuckled, answering the unspoken question.

“I’ve known him forever,” Naruto admitted. “He knew my parents and after they died, he tried to help. He’s always away on missions though.”

Genma nodded his head as they came to the hospital entrance. He watched Naruto walked up to the desk and request Yakushi-sensei. They barely had time to sit in the waiting room before a tall, white-haired man walked through a set of doors.

“Naruto-kun, it’s just in the usual room and you must be his jounin-sensei?” the doctor inquired.

“Yeah, Shiranai Genma,” he responded, following the pair into a general check-up room.

He leaned against the wall beside the door as he just watched the interactions between the other two, storing his questions until they were done. He almost lost his grip on the senbon in his mouth when Naruto took the brace off, revealing the network of seal tattoos beneath it. Serious tattoos for a seven year old; why hadn’t be been told? All that was in his academy file was that his arm had been damaged in the attack, nothing about the seals. He’d have to see about getting a hold of the genin’s medical file.

Genma kept his cool as the check-up proceeded and it became obvious they had done this countless times. Was Naruto really medically fit to be in the field? He was only 7 after all; there was still time for him to wait to become a genin. Plus he had seen the condition that the boy was in that day. Of course, Genma had known about him when he was assigned the team, but there seemed to be a few missing pieces. He zoned back in as Naruto pulled his brace back on.

“Well, Naruto-kun, your arm is in good condition and even getting stronger. The seals are doing better than we expected. There are no signs of damage in your chest so far; it might not even become apparent for a few years. Your facial scar should start to fade soon, but as you already know it’ll always be visible to some degree,” Yakushi-sensei announced, ruffling the boys hair slightly. 

Naruto shot a bright grin at him and shouted a quick ‘see you tomorrow’ at Genma before he flung himself out the door. The jounin waited a second before stepping forward, catching the doctor’s attention.

“Can I look at Naruto’s medical file?” he asked, his usually calm, casual demeanour edged with tension.

Yakushi looked him with a hint of understanding in his gaze.

“That’s confidential, but Hokage-sama knows the full story. It would be better if you asked him.”

Genma nodded curtly before striding out the door and through the exit, directly for the Hokage tower. When he arrived, the Hokage’s last appointment was leaving and Genma let himself in. The old leader was at his desk, filling out some of the never-ending paperwork.

“Hokage-sama,” Genma saluted.

“Genma-kun, what bring you here? Is the team alright?” the Sandaime inquired, hiding his surprise.

“It’s about Naruto.”

The Hokage nodded and placed down his brush, giving Genma his full attention. The tokubetsu jounin was one of his calmest and most reliable shinobi, even if he did have a tendency to joke around. There was an air of tension around the shinobi though and his ever-present senbon was clenched in his teeth.

“I’d been told about his inability to use chakra in his left arm and that he uses one-handed seals to account for that. However, I was not told about the seals on his arm nor the potential damage to his chest. He has to have check-ups every month! He’s seven! Is he really ready to be a genin?”

The Hokage was silent for a moment before speaking.

“Has anything happened in training or on missions to indicate he’s not ready?”

“No, he’s performing well in both those respects; but he has a few years before the normal graduation age, he can spend them working on his health,” Genma argued.

“While it is true that Naruto-kun has a disadvantage compared to other genins, he passed that exam on his own merit. I cannot take away something that has been rightfully earned,” the Hokage stated firmly. “I believe he will surprise you.”

“Hokage-sama, I saw him that day. He was hospitalised for six weeks.”

At Genma’s words, the Sandaime frowned. Sighing he turned to face out the window, gazing at the stone visage of his successor.

“I am sure you have pieced together Naruto-kun’s true identity?”

“Yes, Hokage-sama but it can’t be. Yondaime-sama never had a second child, Naruto was not a redhead and he was supposed to have died when he went looking for his parents that night!”

“I cannot share the whole story with you but Naruto is every bit Minato and Kushina’s child so you know as well as I that nothing can stop him when he puts his mind to it.”

“Yes, Hokage-sama,” Genma sighed.

“Not only that, but the boy possesses a powerful sensing ability that will be invaluable in the future. We cannot afford for him not to become a shinobi, especially with the current war with Kumo.”

The old man smiled gently, turning back to Genma.

“That boy has been through so much already that I do not think anything could hold him back at this point.”

* * *

Two weeks later and Team 7 had fallen into a routine.

Turn up, get painted kunai thrown at them, either chakra control, taijutsu or genjutsu, lunch, D-rank mission, then teamwork exercises every other day. Sometimes ‘hide-and-seek’: Shinobi version. Hana was always the outright winner when she was ‘it’: her clan was renowned for their tracking abilities for a reason, but Naruto held his own as he worked on expanding his sensing range. Kazuya hated those days.

The genin had warmed to their sensei, though they still relied on each other for help rather than asking him. Genma was content to let them work it out on their own; it was only for taijutsu he really took control of teaching.

Naruto, Kazuya and Rio had also managed to finish moving into their new flat but there were aspects of living alone that they had not fully considered. The Sandaime had sorted their bills for the first month at least but the boys now knew there was far more to it than that. Naruto could only thank Kami-sama for their babysitting missions as the advice they got from the mothers was proving invaluable.

Kazuya had the laundry covered as he’d had to do it for his uncle and Naruto picked it up easily. Chores were divided between them and ran smoothly after the first week. The real problem lay in cooking and groceries.

Neither had had to cook their own meals; Kazuya being fed ready meals and such, while Naruto and Rio had been fed by the orphanage. Starting out in their new home, the only meal they had mastered was instant ramen. It was the D-ranks they had fetching groceries for busy mothers that saved them, the women more than happy to answer some of their questions.

It was on one such mission that Naruto encountered a vaguely familiar face. Browsing the fruit and vegetables for his part of the list, he felt a knock against his leg and looked down to find a young, pale face. The child grabbed the onion on the ground and ran back to a woman nearby, the resemblance between the two unmistakeable. She walked over to Naruto, the small boy trailing after her. Naruto noted the Uchiha symbols stitched into both of their clothing.

“I’m sorry. Sasuke-chan wanted to help me with the shopping today and the onion got away from him,” she said with an amused lilt to her voice.

“It’s alright, Uchiha-san. Is that really Sasuke though?” Naruto grinned, scratching the back of his neck sheepishly.

Her brows rose in surprise.

“You know him?”

“Yeah, I met him a couple years ago at the park with Itachi. My brother and Sasuke were in the same sandpit,” he explained. He would never forget the day he met the Uchiha prodigy. He maintained his smile for a moment before it dropped, his eyes widening. “I’m really sorry, I’m Uzumaki Naruto. I should have said that before.”

“It it quite alright, Naruto-kun, I should have done the same. I am Uchiha Mikoto,” she responded in kind.

Naruto looked down to see Sasuke still clutching the onion. He had really grown from that day in the park; Rio had grown too but he didn’t really notice it when he saw him every day. It was only now he realised how much time had passed. It felt like he’d met the Uchiha siblings months instead of years ago. He noticed the boy looking towards a bright red stand. Mikoto picked up on his gaze and smiled down at her son, seeing what he had his eyes on.

“He loves tomatoes,” she laughed. “Every time he comes here he manages to find that stall.”

Naruto smiled back, reminded of his brother’s obsession with ramen. Of course, he wasn’t much better. An idea sparked and he excused himself for a moment, heading to the stand and rummaging his pockets for change. He and Kazuya were on a tight budget, since it was just them and the D-ranks they could do, but he could spare this.

He got his prize and turned back to the Uchiha, still where he had left them. He walked up to Sasuke and knelt in front of him, offering a ripe, red tomato. The little boy looked at him with wide eyes and glanced back at his mother. She nodded and gestured forward. Sasuke took the tomato from Naruto’s hand, uttering a quiet ‘thank you’, and immediately tucked in. Naruto stood and bid goodbye to the pair and continued gathering things from his list.

* * *

In the little free time they had, Naruto and Kazuya still helped out at Tenjirou’s shop, absorbing any knowledge imparted to them by the man. Along with deliveries, they helped him restock the shelves while Tenten and Rio were with Tenten’s mother. She had returned a few months after they started helping out and was more than happy to take care of another child. It was one of these days Naruto came across a large blank roll of paper.

“Hey, Ten-jiisan, where’s this go?” he asked, looked at the roll curiously.

“That’s fūinjutsu paper so it goes with the ink which is...” Tenjirou trailed off, looking around.

“Fūinjutsu?” Naruto repeated. “I’ve heard of that.”

“The Yondaime was famous for using it,” Tenjirou said absently, still trying to track down the ink.

“Yondaime, huh...” Naruto mumbled, staring down at the paper.

His head snapped up as he came to a decision.

“Hey, have you got any books or scrolls that I can read?”

Tenjirou paused in his search and looked Naruto in the eye. Naruto shifted on his feet at the gaze.

“Are you sure? It’s one of the most difficult skills to master.”

“Yeah, I’m sure,” Naruto replied, a small smile tugging at his lips.

Tenjirou opened his mouth to reply when Kazuya’s voice cut in.

“Ten-jiisan, can I borrow this?”

The brunet popped around from behind one of the shelves holding a green-covered book. ‘Iryō Ninjutsu: Practical Techniques’ was the title. Naruto was surprised. Kazuya had never mentioned his interest in medical techniques before.

“Not that one, but I have something more your level,” Tenjirou replied as he moved to a set of boxes they hadn’t reached yet.

Pulling out a set of three scrolls he handed them to Kazuya before moving to one of the back shelves to retrieve another couple, giving them to Naruto as he took the roll from him.

“Read them first before you try anything. If you can master the theory, the techniques themselves will come much easier,” he explained.

“Can we really have these?” Kazuya spoke up, wide-eyed.

“I think all your help these past two years is worth a scroll or two,” Tenjirou winked. “As long as you two are happy to continue helping with the shop, I can give you materials to learn from. These first ones are for you to keep but you can borrow any other books or scrolls when you need them. Just ask me first. There’s the library too which should have even more for you to read.”

Naruto exchanged an excited look with Kazuya.

“Thanks Ten-jiisan,” they echoed, setting their scrolls behind the counter and continuing their roles with greater enthusiasm.

They finished quickly and were soon sent on their way, Rio following beside them as they headed for their flat, yawning the whole way. Naruto gripped his hand tighter as he looked to Kazuya.

“Why medical ninjutsu? You’ve never said anything about it before,” he asked.

Kazuya was silent for a moment.

“It was the day you collapsed,” he started quietly, his pink eyes dim. “I can still see you on the ground, not moving, maybe even dying and I can’t do anything, just like then. You could have died right there and I wouldn’t have been able to anything but watch. I never want to feel that way again.”

He looked at Naruto and Naruto saw the mess of emotions in his friend’s eyes. He swallowed the hard lump in his throat and nodded, shooting his friend the most grateful smile he could give.

“Thanks, Kazuya.”

“Why did you want the fūinjutsu stuff?”

“My...our parents.”

Kazuya remained silent as Naruto glanced down at Rio.

“My dad was amazing at it and I feel like...like maybe if I learn it too, then...”

“You could feel closer to him; even if he’s gone you don’t have to lose all of him.”

Naruto’s head snapped towards Kazuya, seeing a sad smile on his face.

“How’d you...?”

“My mom’s favourite colour was purple,” Kazuya replied, twisting his shirt between his fingers.

Naruto was silent long enough to get Kazuya’s attention and as the brunet turned to him, he saw a bright smile on his friend’s face.

“I’m really happy I met you, Pinku-baka.”

Kazuya grinned back at him and ruffled Naruto’s hair.

“Me too, Aka-chan.”

Naruto felt a tug on his trouser leg and looked down, seeing Rio staring at them both intently.

“What’s up, Sunshine?” Naruto smiled gently.

The four year old was silent and for a moment Naruto’s heart stopped, wondering if his brother had heard him mention their father. Thankfully, Rio hadn’t asked about their parents yet but Naruto knew it was a matter of time. He would tell Rio everything but ideally he wanted to wait until Rio was going into the academy. He couldn’t lie if he was asked; he couldn’t do that to Rio.

It was times like this he was acutely aware of the difference in their age. Despite it only being three years, Naruto felt as if those relatively few years stretched on forever, heaping a weight on his shoulders he still didn’t know if he was ready for.

Rio seemed to decide on whatever was running through his head as he finally spoke.

“You and Kazu-nee are weird.”

Naruto was stunned before he began laughing, doubling over wheezing, attracting the confused stares of villagers heading home for dinner. Feeling a stitch in his side, Naruto sat down, grinning widely at his little brother. Kazuya stood beside him, a smile on his face.

“Yeah, yeah we are,” Naruto grinned, looking into his brother’s beautiful violet eyes, so much like their mother’s.

He stood and brushed off his trousers, taking Rio’s hand again and following Kazuya home.


	10. A C-Rank, They Said. A Simple Mission, They Said

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the team runs a lot and Naruto loses his appetite

“I have excellent news.”

Three groans greeted these words.

“Your definition of ‘excellent’ is _way_ different than ours, Genma-sensei,” Kazuya whined, sitting up from his previous position of a collapsed heap.

“Yeah, last time you said that we spent two days fishing out garbage from one of the rivers,” Naruto added from his place on the ground next to Kazuya. He hadn’t bothered to sit up.

“That was an excellent training opportunity to test your chakra control,” Genma grinned, savouring the annoyed looks of his genin.

“We stank for days after,” Hana deadpanned. “I had four showers that day alone. Four.”

“And your water walking is all the better for it,” Genma waved off their responses. “Now, don’t you want to know what kind of C-rank you will be completing?”

Three pairs of eyes bored into their sensei.

“You’ve been a team for four full months now and your individual training has paid off massively. Your taijutsu and chakra control has improved and you’ve all learned the E rank jutsu I assigned. Hana, your clan techniques are coming along well and while your medical ninjutsu and fūinjutsu are still in the beginning stages, Kazuya and Naruto, they have improved massively over the last three months. You’re ready,” finished Genma, looking over his students.

Gradually, matching grins were reflected in the faces of his genin. Naruto jumped up and pumped his fist in the air.

“We’re so ready, dattebayō!”

“What Aka-chan said,” Kazuya added, rolling his eyes fondly.

“What’s the mission?” Hana asked, pups around her at attention.

“Well, you guys were specifically requested for this mission and it’s a simple one. We are to transport a metal shipment from the Land of Iron back to Konoha for a shinobi supply shop run by Tenjirou. Minimal danger, however, there is always the threat of bandits so our main capacity would be as guards. It will take us a week of travel to get to the Land of Iron. It will take us at least another week to make it back once I seal the shipment, but prepare for three weeks and pack some warm clothes. We will cross directly from the Land of Fire to the Land of Iron so there shouldn’t be any problems with foreign shinobi but never let down your guard. Understood?”

“Yes, sir!”

“Meet at Konoha’s entrance ready to go in two hours. You should be wearing either blue or black clothes.” Genma took at moment to stare at Nauro and Kazuya. “Dismissed.”

He disappeared, leaving only leaves and a faint breeze in his wake. Each of the genin took a moment to absorb the information before Naruto slapped a hand against his face.

“Rio! Hana, do you think your mom would watch him for three weeks?”

Hana shrugged.

“Probably, but we can go ask now.”

The three took off towards the Inuzuka compound.

* * *

Naruto bounced slightly in front of the gate, his backpack a comforting weight on his back. He would swear for the rest of his shinobi career that learning to craft storage seals first was the best decision he could have ever made. Kazuya stood beside him talking to Hana but Naruto couldn’t focus on what they were saying.

Would Rio be okay while he was gone? It was Naruto’s first time leaving the village and his brother would be alone. Not completely alone, he had Kiba and Tsume but would he really be okay without him there? He was fine during the time Naruto was in the hospital but he could visit then. This time there would be no contact until he stepped back into the village in three weeks. Maybe he wouldn’t be bothered since Kakashi disappeared all the time, but it was different this time, right?

“Naruto.”

His head snapped to Kazuya, the older genin looking at him in concern.

“Rio will be fine,” continued Kazuya, smiling gently.

A heavy sigh left Naruto’s body.

“Am I that predictable?” he grinned ruefully.

“Only with Rio. The rest of the time you’re the most unpredictable guy I’ve ever met.”

Naruto was about to respond but the arrival of Genma cut him off.

“Alright Team 7, you ready?” the man smirked around his senbon.

Leading the way, he signed them all out at the Konoha guard station. Naruto looked at the empty road ahead of them and then back at his village. His first C-rank. It felt it had taken both forever and no time at all to get here. Despite how far he’d come, Naruto knew he was lacking. He was the weakest when it came to taijutsu, bookwork and ninjutsu; the only reason he had come this far was because of his friends. He also knew without his sensing ability he would never have been let into the academy in the first place.

Despite knowing all this, Naruto couldn’t help but feel proud. Even after everything with his chakra coils and struggling with things that came easy to his friends, he was here. He could do this.

He had begun to focus less on pinpointing chakra and more on range and identification; he had now memorised over ten chakra signatures and had pushed his maximum range out to a one hundred metre radius although he couldn’t hold it for long.

He wondered if his parents would be proud.

* * *

Naruto made a mental note to buy Gai a bowl of ramen when they got back. If it wasn’t for that schedule he made for him, Naruto doubted he’d have been able to keep up as well as he had.

It was the third day and Genma-sensei had announced they were crossing the border when they packed up camp. So far the mission hadn’t been too bad. They ran through the trees for most of the day, rising at dawn and only stopping at sunset, then set up camp and a watch rotation during the night. Naruto hadn’t been able to sense anyone near them since they left Konoha but the closer they came to the edge of the forest, the stronger the signature he had felt only moments ago became.

As Genma-sensei halted on a wide branch, holding up a fist, his team settled near him within the foliage. Naruto tried to curb his heavy breaths, his legs trembling slightly.

“Kunai or shuriken?”

“Rice,” Genma-sensei replied.

The signature Naruto sensed dropped from the branches above, a Konoha headband wrapped around his right arm.

“Papers?”

Genma handed the documents over and Naruto shot a pained grin at Kazuya, the brunet staring at him in concern.

“C-rank, huh?” the shinobi asked, raising an eyebrow at them.

He handed back the papers and walked a few steps up the trunk, turning back. His hands moved through signs that looked like jutsu but Naruto didn’t recognise them. Genma-sensei nodded and held up his hand again, dropping it to point down. Naruto dropped down from the branches to stand next to Hana. Genma landed just in front of them without a sound, the documents already gone.

“Just past the tree line is the Land of Iron. The country is covered in snow but we shouldn’t reach it for another couple of hours. On the way back, the question will be ‘yes or no?’ and the reply is ‘three’. Got it?”

There was a round of nods before Genma-sensei led the way onto foreign soil.

* * *

Kazuya’s first impression of the Land of Iron was that it was cold. Fucking cold. Like seriously, it made winter in Konoha seem like a lovely spring day and he vividly remembered freezing his ass off in his old room.

The cloak he had brought kept out the snow and wind but it was still going to take some getting used to. Especially the fact there was no _trees_. Kazuya had never left Konoha before so the sight of the empty horizon surrounding them was the strangest thing he had ever seen. It was one thing to read about other countries in books; it was something entirely different to actually be there. The only thing for miles was the ‘Three Wolves’ they were heading towards, surrounded by an uneven, white landscape.

He glanced back to see Naruto running behind him. They had had to adjust the technique slightly but their tree-walking could apparently be applied to snow, which meant they saved time trudging through it all. Still, it was the morning of the sixth day since they had left the village and Kazuya was worried about how much longer his friend could go on for.

He’d noticed in the trees but the redhead had just kept going so he’d stayed quiet. Since the hospital ‘incident’ in the academy, Naruto’s physical condition had improved massively and the brace Ten-jiisan made for him was incredible. No matter how far Naruto had come though, the memory of the younger boy swamped by the stark white sheets was never far from Kazuya’s thoughts.

Naruto was his first friend. They had spent two years working together to escape their shitty situations and then he got Kazuya out completely by offering him a new home. It was more than he could have ever hoped for when he joined the academy. He’d lost the single most important person in his life when his mother had died. After years of misery, he’d found Naruto and then he’d almost lost him too. No way was that going to happen again, not before the redhead had at least lived a good, relatively long life.

There was Rio to look after too, and Hana, and Ten-jiisan, and little Tenten, and Genma-sensei. Really, since that first class the list just kept growing and the gaping void left in his heart after his mother passed was filled piece by piece. He knew it would never really be whole, not truly. He had people to smile for now though and he needed to keep them safe. He would master medical jutsu so nothing like the ‘incident’ or anything else would happen under his watch again.

“I can hear you thinking, Pinku-baka.”

Kazuya grinned at his friend.

“Is that so? Are we adding psychic to your sensing capabilities?”

His grin widened as he faced forwards once more, feeling Naruto’s glare boring into his skull.

“I’m fine.”

“And I’m delighted to hear that.”

Naruto grew quiet once more and Kazuya could hear his breathing grow a bit louder. Up ahead, he saw Genma-sensei stop and turn to them.

“We’re almost there so instead of stopping to make camp, we’re going to keep going. We should be there by tomorrow morning,” he dictated loudly as the three genin huddled around him. “Do you remember your academy lessons on the Land of Iron?”

Kazuya could feel the misery coming from his friends without even needing to look at them.

“They have samurai, not shinobi, right?” he spoke up, pulling his cloak tighter around him. “Shinobi aren’t supposed to do anything in the Land of Iron ‘cause we don’t have any pull here.”

“Correct. We’re only here to get that shipment on behalf of a Konoha merchant so I’m going to tell you guys now: do not do anything to insult the samurai, don’t get involved in anything and don’t do anything outside of the mission parameters. We go in, get a night of sleep, pick up the package and we leave. Got it?”

Kazuya joined the round of nods before they set off again. He slotted in behind Naruto, keeping his friend in front as they continued towards their destination.

* * *

Naruto dragged himself out the warmth of the inn, closing his eyes as the cold slammed into him.

They had managed to make it to the village in the early hours of that morning and Naruto didn’t think he’d ever cherished a night’s sleep more in his life. Genma-sensei had shot out a quick ‘meet in front of the inn at dawn’ before Naruto had closed his eyes, dead to the world until he’d felt the shaking from Hana a few hours later.

He was happy that they’d had the chance to go on C-rank but so far it had been very different than he thought it would be. Running around the village didn’t prepare him for a whole week of travelling and that was without taking the climate into consideration. He imagined missions outside the village to involve fighting, dashing rescues, destroying the landscape with powerful jutsu. Like in the stories his parents told him back then about their missions. Now he thought about it, they must have travelled like this to get to those exciting parts but he was struggling to adjust to even this much. He knew it would get easier with time and more missions but for now, the misery weighed him down as he plonked himself beside Kazuya, shivering.

“Genma-sensei left earlier to get the stuff,” Hana told him as she sat with her pups in her lap.

Kazuya shot looks at the passing samurai.

“I know he said to pack warm clothes before we left but somehow I don’t think he considered that we live in the Land of _Fire_ ,” the brunet grumbled. “This is worse than our winters have ever been.”

“He probably did, but there’s not exactly much he could do,” Hana sighed, her hands shoved in her armpits. “We’ll warm back up when we start running.”

Naruto didn’t bother holding back his groan at the thought of doing this all again, but in the opposite direction. On the bright side, they’d be running towards warmth and ramen. His head snapped up as he felt Genma-sensei come into range. Kazuya noticed and stood, brushing off the excess snow. Naruto and Hana joined him, bouncing in place. Their sensei came into view shortly after, unbothered by the snow swirling around him and senbon firmly in place.

“Didn’t cause any trouble while I was away?” he grinned.

“Too cold to cause trouble,” muttered Kazuya under his breath, securing his bag.

“Are all C-ranks like this?” Naruto piped up.

Genma-sensei shrugged before beckoning them to follow him out of the village.

“Most are pick-up or delivery. Sometimes it might be guarding missions for clients as they travel between countries.”

“So it’s mostly running from place to place?”

“Pretty much,” Genma-sensei nodded. “It’s good practice for higher level missions, since all missions require travelling to one extent or another. Difference is with the higher level ones is that you have to actually carry out objectives that require skill and stamina after the travelling part.”

Naruto turned this over in his head as Genma-sensei handed their papers to the samurai guards at the village gates. It made sense and at least with the next C-rank, they would know what to expect. He should still probably ask Gai for a stricter training menu though.

They were allowed through the gates and their pace began to pick up.

* * *

A few days later, Team 7 had left the snow behind and was coming up to the Samurai bridge. Built of blue stone over a steep drop, it was large and sturdy and Naruto couldn’t help but admire it. As he peered into the short distance to get a better look, something flickered at the edge of his chakra sense. His steps slowed as he focused on the signature that had appeared on the other side of the bridge.

“Genma-sensei?” he called as weaker signatures joined the first.

His team stopped and backtracked to join him. Kazuya started to look around, recognising whatever was showing on his face.

“Naruto?” Genma-sensei prompted after a moment.

“There’s someone on the other side of the bridge. They’ve got a bunch of others with them.”

Genma’s stance straightened as he took the senbon out of his mouth.

“Can you sense how many? How are they moving?”

“Ten. They aren’t moving. It’s like they’re waiting for something.”

“An ambush,” Genma-sensei nodded. “Probably bandits. They’re common on C-ranks and it’s their favoured tactic.”

Naruto shifted on his feet and checked his weapons pouch, Kazuya and Hana doing the same.

“It’s good that we got early warning. I want to leave this mostly to you, to get some real combat experience. I’ll step in if any of you need help but you have to be prepared to do what’s necessary.”

Genma-sensei met each of their eyes separately, the message clear in his gaze. Naruto knew he’d have to kill at some point but now the moment was here he wasn’t sure how he felt about it.

“Bandits don’t usually use chakra so you should have no issues,” he continued. “I’ll follow behind you on the bridge. Hana, you’ll be at the front since you are the strongest in practical combat. Kazuya, you’ll follow her and Naruto, keep your teammates up-to-date on the enemy’s numbers and position. Okay?”

The three shot out a quick ‘yes, sir’ as they got into position. Naruto breathed deeply as he watched Kazuya follow Hana towards the bridge. He could hear his heart in his ears as if it had jumped into his throat. He’d trained for this. He could do this. They’d be fine.

Hana took her first step on the bridge, her hackles raised to match her dogs. Naruto watched Kazuya shift his kunai in his pouch, palming one of his own. The chakra signatures he felt barely moved as they reached the middle of the bridge and Naruto focussed on the biggest. It felt so different than the others, almost like Genma-sensei’s.

Something clicked as the chakra signature shot forward.

“IT’S A SHINOBI!” he screamed as a ball of fire shot towards Hana.

Hana desperately threw herself to the side and the ball struck where she had stood. No attack followed and Naruto’s gaze was drawn to the man at the end of the bridge. He stood tall, with short green hair obscuring his eyes. He wore a blue and orange jacket that clashed with the wooded background and he’d folded his arms. A headband with a scored out arrow was wrapped around his left arm and Naruto had no idea which village that was meant to be.

“A little genin team from Konoha, huh?” the man spoke. “Picking up some goodies from the samurai, were we?”

Naruto felt the other signatures approach the bridge and the other bandits came into view through the tree line. He felt Genma-sensei pass him, going to stand in front of Hana.

“Suika, missing-nin of Takigakure. B-rank in the bingo book,” he stated, as Hana scrambled back to stand beside Kazuya.

The man’s face twisted into a smirk, his black eyes becoming visible as he tilted his head.

“Now this doesn’t have to get ugly,” he sneered. “Hand over whatever you got from the samurai and any coin on you and we’ll let you go on your merry way.”

“Naruto, is he the only shinobi?” Genma-sensei asked, keeping is eyes on the missing-nin.

“Yeah.”

Naruto tried not to flinch at the sharp look from Suika.

“A sensor?” he mused. “Don’t get many of them nowadays.”

“I’ll handle him. You guys get the rest,” Genma-sensei ordered, his hands already flipping through rapid seals.

As he unleashed a wave of water, pushing Suika off the bridge and away from the trees, he shot forward, following the jutsu with several thrown kunai. Naruto tore his gaze from his sensei and he ran with his teammates towards the tree line.

“What? Are they letting babies do their missions now?” he overheard as they drew close.

At the corner of his vision, he saw Kazuya embed a shuriken in the neck of one of the bandits. He felt a flicker to his left and ducked beneath the swing of a bandit’s dagger, planting his kunai deep into the woman’s thigh and feeling the muscle give way. As she dropped to one knee gripping the limb, Naruto yanked the weapon back out and plunged it into her eye. There was less resistance than there had been in her leg. Her scream was cut off; the blood spraying Naruto’s face as he desperately pulled it out once again.

He heard a man’s roar behind and barely dove to the side quick enough to avoid the blade of an axe. Naruto stared up into the bearded man’s snarl, his beady eyes bright with rage. His heart almost beat out of chest and he fumbled through the seals as the axe came down once again, swapping with the woman’s corpse. He swallowed heavily when her guts stuck to the axe as the man prepared for another swing at him. He flung a shuriken, grimacing as it missed the neck and stuck into the man’s shoulder.

He swore heavily as another bandit came at him from the side, wielding a rusty katana. Naruto held his breath and ducked between his legs, using his bloody kunai to slash upwards. The bandit howled and dropped the katana to grip the wound.

Naruto took his chance.

He shoved his bloody kunai back into his pouch and grabbed the katana, needing both hands to get a firm grip. The axe guy was still trying to get a good swing in and as Naruto got the katana stuck in the back of the other bandit’s neck, the axe left a shallow cut on his right side as he barely moved away in time. He abandoned the weapon and rolled away, trying to ignore the sharp pain at the movement.

As he scrambled to stand, the axe bandit dropped to his knees with a roar and Naruto could see Kazuya extracting his kunai from the man’s heels. Naruto leapt forward, yelling as he shoved the kunai deep into his neck. He let go, leaving the weapon to stick out of the bandit as he slumped to the ground with a quiet gurgle. He could sense no more around him as he scanned the bodies scattered around him. Kazuya was wiping off his kunai as Hana checked over the pups.

Naruto’s mind raced as his gaze swept over the bandits. All dead. He did that. He killed at least three of them. He did this.

A sharp yell cut into his downward spiral as his eyes snapped over to where he could now only feel one chakra signature. Genma-sensei stood above the missing-nin, the edges of his clothes singed and the earth around him disturbed and uneven.

“Any injuries?” he called out, turning to face his genin.

“Yeah,” Kazuya answered, holding a bleeding arm.

“Okay, Naruto can you sense anyone else around?”

Naruto shook his head; he couldn’t trust that he’d keep his stomach down if he spoke.

“Go and wait just beyond the tree line. I’ll join you once I’ve dealt with this.”

Naruto nodded but didn’t move, going back to stare at the bodies. He felt hand on his shoulder and a fluffy nose on his cheek. He wasn’t sure when he’d sat down. He let Hana help him up and they limped into the trees.

* * *

They’d traveled a short distance away from the bridge once Genma-sensei joined them, but they couldn’t go far. Naruto had lost the battle with his stomach somewhere along the way. As they sat around the small fire, wounds treated, the genin couldn’t bring themselves to speak.

“You guys did well.”

Naruto didn’t look at his sensei, only staring at his hands.

“My first kill happened when I was a genin, too.”

This brought Naruto’s eyes up.

“It was my third mission outside the village. We had to bring supplies to the border and this was around the time of the Third Shinobi War, so everyone was on high alert,” his sensei smiled sadly. “Some bandits thought we would be easy targets and so they tried to get our cargo. Most of them weren’t that old either. The first one I killed looked only a couple of years older than me.”

Naruto’s throat closed up.

“Death is a way of life for us,” Genma continued quietly. “It’s you or them; that choice isn’t easy but you have to keep in mind why you became a shinobi in the first place.”

Rio’s face flashed through Naruto’s head, his smile bright and eyes sparkling. Would he kill for his brother? His friends? His gut said yes; without hesitation. Naruto straightened up, wiping his face and looking at the blood mixed in with the tears.

“At the end of the day, you are protecting something. You need to remember what that is; what is worth another person’s life to you?”

“My family,” Hana whispered.

“My home,” Kazuya added.

“My brother.”

Genma smiled.

“Good, remember that and you’ll be fine.”

Naruto nodded and accepted the bread handed to him, pausing before taking a bite. It sank slowly to his stomach but it stayed there.

* * *

The genin dragged their feet towards the Inuzuka compound after their visit to the hospital.

Naruto didn’t think he would ever be so happy to see the village gates in his lifetime. Once they had reported to the mission assignment desk, Genma had firmly guided them to the hospital. Turned out facing a B-rank missing-nin bumped up the difficulty from a C to a B-rank. Naruto wasn’t sure it really counted, since their jounin sensei was the one to actually deal with him while they just had the bandits. The extra pay couldn’t hurt though.

They also hadn’t looked like they had lived through a B-rank mission, having washed off the evidence of the fight on their way back to Konoha. Apparently they still looked bad enough to draw some pitying stares from the adults they ran into in the village.

It had been a quiet journey as each of the genin had sorted through their feelings. What Genma-sensei had said had struck a chord but Naruto didn’t think he’d ever get comfortable taking someone else’s life. Maybe that was a good thing.

The sounds from the compound reached their ears and Naruto searched for that familiar chakra signature, trying not to crumple as he locked onto it. Finally, the inside of the compound came into view and Naruto spotted the flash of blond within the brown.

“Rio!”

The blond head turned to him and after an excited ‘Nii-san’, Naruto dropped to his knees, hugging his brother tightly. He could feel the warmth from Rio’s small body, his hands gripping Naruto’ black shirt. He could feel Kazuya shuffling beside him as Hana shot towards her mother. Naruto reached a hand out and dragged Kazuya into the hug. As he sat there, warm and surrounded by friends with his brother in his arms, Naruto understood what Genma-sensei had been trying to say.

This is what he wanted to protect.

This was worth killing for.

This was worth dying for.


	11. I Would’ve Gotten Away With It If It Weren’t For You Meddling Kids

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Kumo comes to visit and Naruto learns about Boundaries

Over the next few months, Team 7 completed five more C-ranks although they managed to avoid any altercations like they had encountered in their first mission. The three trained harder than ever with future battles in mind and their abilities gradually improved, although not as fast as they wanted.

It was as Naruto was walking home from his errands that he overhead the rumours about Kumo. They’d been fighting with Kumogakure since before he’d become a genin but it appear it was all about to end.

He burst in the apartment, startling Kazuya as he just barely caught the dropped bowl.

“Would you stop doing that?” he whined. “Not all of us can sense people coming, you know.”

Naruto shrugged, knowing he wasn’t going to stop anytime soon. He ruffled Rio’s hair on his way past the kitchen table where the kid was doodling something Naruto couldn’t recognise. It had a lot of orange though so he approved either way. He dumped his new fūinjutsu books on the table and went to put away the groceries he’d been carrying in the other hand.

“Have you heard? Apparently, we’re going end the war with Kumo.”

“What?” Kazuya asked, surprised. “Seriously?

“Yup, there’s gonna be a peace treaty and everything.”

“Huh,” Kazuya huffed, finishing up and folding the tea towel.

“Nii-san, Nii-san!”

“Yeah?” Naruto smiled down at his brother, putting the bag of rice on the counter. “What did you draw today?”

Rio presented the orange mess which now Naruto thought about it, looked very familiar. His hand started to shake as he reached out for the paper, staring the single red eye staring out from the page.

“Where did you see this?” he whispered, distant cries and rumbling echoing in his ears.

Kazuya took one look at his face and peered over his shoulder. The colour left his friends face as he jerked back from the picture.

“What the fuck?”

“In a dream,” Rio chirped happily, missing their reaction as he proceeded to ramble about the colours.

“Rio.”

The young boy’s mouth snapped shut as the notion that something was right entered his thoughts. What did he do? Nii-san never spoke to him like this.

Naruto put the page to the side and dropped into a crouch, placing his hands on his brother’s shoulders.

“Rio, you got to promise me that you’ll never show this picture to anyone. You didn’t do anything wrong but people won’t like it.”

He didn’t want to scare him but Rio needed to understand this before someone else saw it. If people thought the Kyūbi was bleeding through his father’s seal, Naruto didn’t want to think how they’d react. It had been almost five years but something like that night tends to stick in people’s memories. He would know.

Rio stared at him, confused and hurt at the reaction.

“Okay,” he agreed quietly, head dropping to his chest.

“Hey.” Naruto reached a hand beneath Rio’s chin, lifting his head to look into sad violet eyes. “Why don’t you draw a picture for Kakashi when he comes back? Like Pakkun?”

Rio nodded and a faint smile reappeared on his round face as he trotted back to the table. Naruto stood back up but was quickly yanked off his feet and shoved into the nearest room, which happened to be Kazuya’s. A purple futon was neatly folded in the corner and the desk opposite was covered in medical books he’d borrowed from the library the day before.

He brushed the hand off and looked into Kazuya’s scared eyes.

“Naruto, why the fuck is your brother drawing the Kyūbi? Because I know for a fact your brother’s never seen it.”

Naruto stared at his friend before sighing heavily. He’d hope to tell Kazuya after he’d told Rio, but it appears that wasn’t going to happen. He took a deep breath.

“Rio has the Kyūbi sealed inside him,” he explained, watching Kazuya’s face carefully. “The Yondaime couldn’t kill it so he sealed it into a baby. Rio was born just hours before the attack so he was a good fit.”

Kazuya’s mouth opened and closed as he processed the information. Before he could open his mouth to speak, Naruto hurriedly continued.

“The Kyūbi has no power, though. It’s like sealing a kunai into a scroll; he’s just keeping it there. The Yondaime’s seal is the best, it won’t break.”

Kazuya considered him further.

“I mean, I could have told you that the Kyūbi has no effect on him,” Kazuya shrugged, although his shoulders were still tense. “He’s the nicest kid I know.”

Naruto started to release his breath, but it caught as Kazuya frowned further.

“I love the kid but the Kyūbi took my mum from me. It’s just gonna take some time to process, you know?”

Naruto’s heart sunk, but he nodded. His friend deserved a chance to make his own decision, even if it was one he didn’t like.

* * *

It was a rough week after that incident, with Kazuya finding every excuse to leave the apartment. As his friend walked through the doorway hours after training that day had finished, Naruto prepared for the worst.

Rio spotted the older boy and bounced over, peering up at his face. Kazuya paused for a moment before scooping the kid up, hugging him close. Naruto met his eyes from across the room and sagged into the counter behind him at the acceptance in his gaze.

They’d be fine.

* * *

The village was abuzz with gossip about the Kumo peace delegate as Kazuya and his team walked up to the Hokage’s tower to report another successful D-rank mission. As he and Naruto walked to Tenjirou’s shop to pick up deliveries after handing in the report, the pair happened to pass by the Hyūga compound.

Things had gotten back to the way they used to be between them since the picture incident. He still saw Rio as the same happy kid as before, but he had to take the time for it all to sink in. That had been the worst night of his life and the image of the giant orange fox destroying his home still cropped up in his nightmares. It was hard to imagine that beast of destruction seal inside little Rio, but the contrast between the two had helped him accept the truth. He knew there was more that Naruto was hiding but he had promised to tell him after Rio, which he thought was fair. He trusted the redhead to tell him when he was ready. He had never told the blond everything that happened at his uncle’s and Kazuya knew he never would if he could help it.

Naruto’s head snapped towards the Hyūga compound and Kazuya could recognise that look anywhere.

“What’re you sensing?”

Sometimes his friend’s chakra sensing ability awed and baffled him at the same time. It was hard to imagine knowing where everyone was around you without looking, it seemed like a lot. It made it impossible to surprise his friend as he could feel Kazuya approaching ages away; this was great for missions but not for when he couldn’t enact revenge on the younger boy for sneaking up on him. Sometimes Kazuya liked to compare it to Naruto seeing ghosts, especially at moments like this when he appeared to be staring at the empty air.

“Someone I haven’t felt before. They’re not a Hyūga either.”

Kazuya looked in the direction Naruto was staring but didn’t see anything. He shrugged and began to drag his friend forward, towards whoever he had sensed. One way to find out to whom the signature belonged to. As the two boys crept closer to the walls of the compound, Kazuya finally spotted a man examining the wall in the distance. He dragged his friend back out of view as the man’s head snapped towards them. He held his breath as he looked at his friend, blue eyes glazed over as they looked at something only he could see. Kazuya poked his head back round the corner to look at the man. Why was he hanging around the compound?

After the man eventually left, Kazuya leaned his head on the wall behind him. He wasn’t sure what to make of that.

“Hey! Get off the wall!” one of the Hyūga guards came into view and Kazuya dragged his friend away, yelling an apology in response.

After walking for a bit, Naruto was still silent and Kazuya had to nudge him.

“What going on in that head of yours, Aka-chan?”

Naruto’s eyes darted to him and he appeared to turn something over in his head.

“I think we should come back tonight.”

“What, why?” Kazuya frowned. “If you think something’s going to happen, why not just tell the Hyūga?”

“Have you met a Hyūga? They’ll never listen to us,” pointed out Naruto, one red eyebrow raised.

“Fair.”

They continued on and Kazuya made a mental note to ask Tsume if Kiba was up for a sleepover.

* * *

The night was cool as they snuck towards the Hyūga compound that night, Rio safely tucked into a bed at the Inuzuka’s. They had dressed in their mission gear, black shirts and trousers, and they blended into the night.

Naruto was grateful to his best friend for going along with him on this. He couldn’t give any details, it more gut instinct than anything but the man from earlier hadn’t been from Konoha. Kazuya had pointed out loads of people visited Konoha but Naruto had a bad feeling about this one. He’d never seen any other visitors lurking around the clan compounds, especially with that kind of chakra. The only way Naruto could describe it was he got a metallic taste in mouth. Not much to go on but if it turns out to be nothing then all they’ve lost is a night’s sleep.

As they came to the same corner, the same chakra signature popped up but it was inside the compound. Startled, Naruto ran forward, Kazuya echoing his steps. The signature leapt over the wall and the man rose to his feet just a few metres away. Naruto’s heart dropped in horror as his gaze switched from the Kumo headband to the sack the man carried; there was a weak signature smaller than even Rio’s.

“Kazuya, you gotta go get the Hyūga. Kumo, he’s got a kid in there,” Naruto yelled behind him as he threw a kunai at the man’s leg.

He heard Kazuya swear loudly before darting around the corner. The kunai missed but the man’s surprise allowed Naruto to get close enough the aim a kick at his legs. The man jumped but Naruto had managed to take another kunai out of his pouch, slashing at the hand that held the sack. It reached the edge of his wrist, enough for him to drop the bag and a small squeak reached him.

“Kid, you picked the wrong time to fight me,” the man growled as he aimed a kick at Naruto’s stomach.

He dodged but failed to see the other leg as the man spun. Spittle flew from his mouth as Naruto hit the ground hard, swallowing the bile forced up from the hit. The man reached down to grab the sack again but Naruto ran through the seal for _kawarimi_ , landing a punch on the man’s face as he swapped with the sack. Fury sparked in the man’s grey eyes and Naruto barely rolled in time to avoid the kunai that would have stabbed his heart. His world spun as the man kicked his head and he curled up as the Kuno nin landed another kick on his stomach.

“You’ve gotta die, kid.” He growled, grabbing Naruto’s left arm and twisting it.

Naruto yelped as the bone gave way and caught the man’s nose as he kicked desperately. He crawled towards the sack, wincing as he jostled his wounds.

“NARUTO!”

He couldn’t pick his head up to spot his friend as the foreign shinobi swore and he heard the ‘ting’ of kunai brushing each other. As he stared at the ground, he felt a brush of air pass him and the Kuno nin’s chakra abruptly disappear. He rolled onto his back, squinting his eyes to see the broad back of a Hyūga standing over the body of the Kumo nin, his head at an awkward angle. A wave of pain hit him as he tried to sit up. Kazuya’s worried face appeared above him and Naruto let the darkness take him, knowing he’d be safe with his best friend.

* * *

Naruto rose to consciousness slowly, the light blinding him the first time he tried opening his eyes. At the soft ‘Naruto’, he tried again and opened his eyes to a familiar white ceiling. The thought of ‘please don’t let it have been three weeks’ passed through his mind until the events of before slammed in his brain. He shot up, regretting the movement instantly as the room spun. He felt a gentle hand push him back down and followed it to Kazuya’s tired face.

“The kid?” was the first thing out of his mouth.

Kazuya stared at him for a moment before laughter burst out of him. Naruto watched his friend with concern; did he get hit in the head too?

“She’s fine,” Kazuya reassured him. “Trust you to focus on the kid and not on the fact that guy could’ve killed you.”

Naruto’s face scrunched up in confusion as his friend chuckled.

“The girl was Hyūga Hinata, the daughter of the clan head. Kumo was after the Byakugan and so the guy who was here for the peace treaty tried to kidnap her for the bloodline. Hyūga-sama killed him and she’s back with her clan. You’ve only been asleep for a few hours.”

Naruto nodded and sat up again more slowly, glumly glancing that the cast of his left arm. Just when he thought he was free of them.

“Also I’m pretty sure we’re in trouble.”

“What?” 

“The Hokage and Hyūga-sama want to see us as soon as you can stand. They want to know why we were there and didn’t tell anyone,” Kazuya shrugged, unbothered.

“Great,” he groaned, swinging his feet out of bed. “Guess we better go see the old man.”

* * *

Hiruzen sat as his desk as Hiashi tapped his foot beside him, arms folded and fury lining his features. This whole incident was an international nightmare. He had a furious clan head, a dead Kumo nin and an angry Kumo.

And mixed up in this whole mess were two young genin who had no idea of the significance of their actions.

The doors opened and in walked the two headaches themselves. Naruto shot a look at the Hyūga Head and bowed with Kazuya, their ‘Hokage-sama’ overlapping. As the two boys straightened up, Hiruzen took a moment to look over his successor’s son.

He’d grown in the time since he’d become a genin, at least four inches. Red hair hung down to his shoulder blades, as straight as his mothers although it was obvious the boy had come straight from his hospital bed. He thought that the scar on Naruto’s face had faded slightly but it was hard to tell with how pale the boy was; the contrast was stark against the forming bruise on his cheek. Not a speck of orange could be found and Hiruzen found a strange mix of sadness and pride at the observation. He had heard only good reports on his missions and training since he had graduated, with the exception of their first C turned B-rank mission.

He also noted that the blue in the boy’s eyes had darkened since he’d last seen him; it was closer to Minato’s shade now. A few more years, he would be looking into eyes identical to the Yondaime Hokage’s. The boys straightened as Genma slipped into the room, standing at the back of the room. Good; they were all here.

“So, boys,” Hiruzen began. “Do you want to explain your side of the story?”

They exchanged a glance before the brunet stepped forward.

“The day before, we were walking by the Hyūga compound and Naruto noticed a chakra signature that was out of place,” he explained, his voice steady. “We went to go check it out and we saw someone beside the walls.”

“I didn’t recognise his chakra signature,” added Naruto. “He wasn’t Hyūga but we couldn’t get close enough to see who he was. Something felt wrong so I convinced Kazuya to come with me last night to check it out, maybe see if he had left anything behind.”

“You didn’t think to tell anyone?” Hiashi interrupted, his tone sharp.

“Tell them what?” Naruto didn’t back down. “We saw a man in the distance doing nothing near the Hyūga compound?”

Hiruzen cut in before Hiashi could reply.

“The rest?”

The boys exchanged another look before Kazuya took over.

“Naruto sensed the guy inside the compound and we ran closer. The guy then dropped in front of us and Naruto felt Hinata’s chakra in the bag. I ran to get someone and found Hyūga-sama already beginning to look for her. I led him to Naruto.”

The boy finished with a glance at the redhead.

“After I figured out there was a kid in the bag, I just tried to stall until Kazuya could bring help,” Naruto shrugged, absently rubbing the cast.

Hiruzen sat back in his chair, contemplating their words. Their presence seemed to be a combination of Naruto’s sensing abilities and dumb luck. He wasn’t really sure where to go with this.

“You keep mentioning Naruto’s sensing the man and Hinata?”

Hiashi narrowed his pale eyes at the boys.

“Naruto is a gifted sensor,” Hiruzen supplied. “He was born with the ability.”

“You didn’t think to tell anyone?” Genma piped up, the senbon clenched in his teeth.

The boys exchanged guilty looks, turning to look at their sensei.

“We’re sorry, sensei. We didn’t exactly have much to go on.”

Genma met each of the boys eyes separately before sighing, rolling his senbon from one side of his mouth to other.

“We should thank you boys,” Hiruzen interjected. “You interrupted a kidnapping attempt and saved a little girl but I feel that you do not know the extent of the situation.” 

“What’d you mean, J- Hokage-sama?” Naruto caught himself just in time with a glance at Hiashi.

“Kumo are denying any accusations of kidnapping and are demanding compensation for the death of their ‘peace ambassador’. They want the head of the man who killed him.”

At Hiruzen’s words, the boys lost their composure.

“But we saw him!”

“We literally caught him with Hinata in his bag!”

“You are genin,” Hiashi broke in. “Your word means nothing to Kumo.”

Outrage clouded their expressions and Hiruzen picked up on the frustration from the redhead. Maybe if the world knew his linage, they would listen but it was not worth the risk to Naruto or Rio. Both the grandfather and the Hokage in him agreed that these boys needed to be protected. Naruto’s sensing abilities were far too valuable.

“So what? We just got summoned to tell us ‘thanks but you fucked up’?” Kazuya frowned.

“I summoned you here to get the full story and to swear you both to silence over this matter,” Hiruzen scolded. “No one can know you were involved lest Kumo demand your heads as well.”

Silence followed his words. Hiashi stepped forward, gaining the attention of the boys again. The clan head seemed to gather himself and release the tension in his frame, if only for a moment.

“Thank you for saving my daughter,” he confided. “No matter if you didn’t tell anyone of your doubts or what comes next, you stopped them from taking my daughter. This will never be forgotten.”

The surprise Hiruzen felt must have mirrored the genins as their jaws dropped in shock.

“And know that if you ever have concerns involving the Hyūga that I will listen.”

Naruto appeared to consider Hiashi’s words before coming to a decision unknown to Hiruzen.

“That’s all, boys,” he dismissed. “Consider your involvement an S-ranked secret.”

Kazuya’s eyes widened, but Naruto just rolled his eyes. It made sense; the redhead’s life was an S-ranked secret.

“Congrats on the grandkid, Jiji.”

Hiruzen nodded, smiling briefly in thanks. They left shortly after, their sensei following closely behind. At least Hiruzen knew that the boys would be fine.

* * *

After what was becoming known as the ‘Hyūga Affair’ in the village, Naruto didn’t hear much about the political maneuvering that was sure to have followed. He was still digesting the chewing out from Genma-sensei that occurred the moment they left Jiji’s office.

In the months they’d spent training and carrying out missions with the tokubetsu jounin, he’d been chill, casual even. Genma-sensei spent their more torturous training sessions cracking jokes at their expense; if Naruto hadn’t been so miserable at the time, he might have laughed. Overall, he was calm with a sense of humour. That man disappeared when he rounded on them in the tower that day.

The guilt from that day followed Naruto even now as he guided Rio through the village. It’s not that they didn’t trust their sensei, because he did, he really did. Naruto was just used to doing things either himself or with Kazuya. Seeking help from adults was never his first thought. He also hadn’t thought that the bad feeling he’d had would have spiralled into an international incident.

“Naruto-kun!”

He was pulled from his thoughts at the shout, turning to see green spandex quickly moving towards him.

“Hi Gai,” he smiled, leaning slightly away as the jounin stopped in front of the pair, pouncing into his ‘nice guy’ pose.

“How are you on this most Youthful day!”

Naruto felt a tug on his hand and looked down to see Rio staring at Gai, although he couldn’t pinpoint if it was admiration or shock.

“Sunshine, this is Maito Gai. He’s friends with Kakashi. Gai, this is my brother, Rio.”

Gai’s smile switched from him to Rio as he came out of the ‘nice guy’ pose.

“You look like you are fully embracing the Springtime of your Youth, young Rio!”

Naruto scrunched his brow in confusion before clocking what the jounin meant. Rio’s t-shirt was the same shade of green as the spandex suit Gai wore. Right then and there, Naruto swore to never leave Rio with Gai alone. Last thing he needed was Kazuya’s meltdown if Rio came home dressed in the jumpsuit that he still complained about to this day.

“Oh, Gai,” Naruto remembered. “I owe you a bowl of ramen.”

“From when, young genin?”

“From my first C-rank; the training menu you gave me pretty much saved me,” he elaborated, realizing that he hadn’t actually told Gai yet.

“Ramen?”

Naruto grinned as he looked back to his brother. A magic word for his brother, guaranteed to gain Rio’s attention, even when faced with the ‘youthful’ sight of Gai. He wasn’t any different; ramen was the food of the gods after all. He led his brother and Gai to the stand, Rio shooting question after question at the jounin.

“If it isn’t the Uzumakis,” Teuchi called from behind the counter. “Where’s the third one?”

“Kazuya’s annoying the medic nins at the hospital today,” Naruto explained, helping Rio onto a stool. “There was a bit in his books last night that he didn’t get so he’s trying to convince one of them to explain it.”

“That sounds like him,” Teuchi chuckled.

Naruto opened his mouth to reply when he heard another ‘Naruto’ from behind. He turned in his seat to see Kakashi and another man walk up to the ramen stand. Rio screamed next to him, launching himself from the stool and into Kakashi’s arms. The jounin hefted Rio to sit in the crook of his arm, eye-smiling.

“Hey Rio,” the jounin hummed. “Been looking after your brother for me?”

“Yep!”

Kakashi moved further in and Naruto dodged the hand that came to ruffle his braid.

“Here for ramen?” Kakashi placed Rio back on the stool, taking a seat beside him.

The man who was with him took the seat on the other side of Kakashi, his plain face blank. He had a weird head protector that framed his face and wore the traditional jounin gear. Naruto was pretty sure that he’d never seen him before but there was something in his chakra, something different that he couldn’t quite make sense of.

“This is Tenzou,” Kakashi nodded his head to the man. “I worked with him some recent missions.”

Naruto caught the brief frown that crossed Tenzou’s face.

“Tenzou, these are the kids I told you about although there’s one missing. Where’s K-”

Kakashi was abruptly cut off by Gai.

“MY ETERNAL RIVAL!”

“Oh, Gai, I didn’t see you there. Did you say something?”

“You’re so hip, Kakashi!” cried out Gai, tears streaming down his face.

Naruto looked between them before shaking his head, turning away. They had a weird friendship. He quickly ordered a couple of miso ramen with Teuchi, failing to keep Rio in his seat as the jounin spiralled into one of their challenges, Rio in between them demanding to take part. He’d asked what Gai wanted after they were done.

“So, Tenzou,” he began, turning to the quiet teen. “How did you say you knew Kakashi?”

The brunet stared back at him, face still blank.

“I worked with Kakashi-senpai on recent missions.”

Naruto eyebrows drew together in thought. That was exactly what Kakashi had said. Was it classified? He hadn’t sensed Tenzou’s weird chakra before so he was sure he wasn’t in the general shinobi forces. He knew Kakashi was in ANBU, although he wasn’t supposed to so did that mean this guy was also in ANBU?

“Are you ANBU?” he blurted out, despite knowing the teen couldn’t tell him. Maybe Kazuya was onto something when he said Naruto couldn’t keep his mouth shut to save his life.

“No.”

“Right, right, I’m sorry that was my bad.” Naruto chuckled, sheepishly scratching the back of his neck. “I was just curious about your chakra since I haven’t felt it before.”

“You can feel my chakra?” Tenzou asked, finally moving his face as his eyebrow twitched.

“Yeah,” Naruto answered cheerfully, missing Tenzou’s unease. “There’s something different about it but I can’t tell what it is.”

Kakashi suddenly appeared next to him, blocking his view of Tenzou. Naruto turned to see Gai and Rio still engrossed in a game of _jan-ken-po_.

“Naruto, I know you have these sensing abilities but sometime you have to respect people’s privacy, okay?”

Naruto frowned.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean,” Kakashi sighed and took a seat. “I know you are used to feeling everyone’s chakra and it’s natural for you, but you have to remember that some people might not appreciate you asking questions about stuff that might be private.”

Kakashi’s words swirled in Naruto’s head. He hadn’t considered that before. He had been able to feel chakra for so long now that he didn’t think twice about it anymore. He had a habit of forgetting that no one else was used to it, except Rio and his team. As far as he knew, he was the only born sensor in Konoha but he never really stopped to consider what that meant.

He looked up to see Kakashi’s eye-smile and nodded. They were obviously hiding something but Naruto decided to let it go for now. Kakashi maybe had a point; he didn’t need to know and he knew he would be uneasy if someone knew about the secrets he hid just by looking at him. He put these thoughts to one side as Teuchi placed a steaming bowl in front of him, Rio and Gai appearing at his side at the smell. Naruto dug in as the buzz of chatter at the stand washed over him. He would think about it more later.


	12. What Are You Doing? My Best

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Naruto spills the family history, Genma (doesn't) brag about his team and Kazuya visits a flower shop

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys!
> 
> Just wanted to say I think this has been my favourite chapter so far so I hope you enjoy it too!

Rio’s knee bounced up and down as he waited for his brothers to walk through the front door. They’d been out to the Land of Rivers for a C-rank and were due back today. Rio was ready for them.

At the Inuzuka’s today, Kiba had started shinobi training and when Rio had asked Tsume-baachan about it she had said that all Inuzukas started training when they turned six. She also said to ask Nii-san about training since they would be joining the academy in two years and that Nii-san and Kazu-nee would know best since they graduated early.

Rio knew that his brothers were amazing shinobi; he’d watched them train for as long as he could remember. When he’d asked Kashi about it, the teen was more than happy to tell him all about his brothers’ exploits. Two bits of information had stuck with Rio since that conversation: firstly, that when Nii-san had been six, he was already in the academy and secondly, when Nii-san was at the actual academy entrance age of eight, he’d already been a genin for a year.

Rio was six. He wasn’t great at maths. He did know though that he should be at the academy like Nii-san was at his age. He also knew that he should be training to join the academy like Kiba was. If Nii-san and Kazu-nee weren’t going to bring it up, then Rio was going to have to remind them himself.

His eyes snapped towards the door as it opened and his brothers stumbled in. Kazu-nee dumped his backpack by the door with his dirty sandals and falling backwards onto one of the sofas, his short brown hair flopping over his eyes. Rio didn’t see either of them without their favourite colours very often so to see Kazu-nee in a black turtleneck was still strange to him. Nii-san followed behind, shutting the door behind him and shoving stray strands of long red hair behind his ear as they escaped his high ponytail. He wore a black t-shirt with his brace covering his left arm. Both looked tired and dirty as Nii-san also dumped his bag and sandals by the door.

“Hi Sunshine,” smiled Nii-san, coming over to ruffle Rio’s short blond hair before slumping into a seat across from him.

“Hi Nii-san,” he greeted, silently working up to what he wanted to say.

“Hey Rio,” Kazu-nee half-heartedly piped up.

“Remind me to put nettles in Genma-sensei’s spare clothes on the next mission,” Nii-san suddenly asked, raising his head to look at the back of the sofa.

“Only if I get to help.”

“Hana would probably help distract him,” Nii continued. “If he gets mad, then we can call it stealth training.”

“Fuck stealth training, he’ll know why we did it,” Kazu-nee snapped, raising his head to peek one pink eye over the edge of the sofa.

Rio looked between the two. It was nice to have them home but sometimes Rio felt like the odd man out. He knew he was loved but listening to them now, there was a lot about his family that he missed out on. That he missed because he couldn’t go with them or train with them or would just get in the way.

“Nii-san, Kazu-nee?”

Two pairs of eyes turned to look at him, both older boys now sitting up properly.

“I want to join the academy.”

Nii-san’s face dropped and Kazu-nee shot a look at his brother before leaning back out of sight, muttering ‘you’re taking this one’.

“No.”

Rio steeled himself. He knew this wasn’t going to be easy. Today they would see he was just as good as them and that he didn’t have to be left behind all the time.

“You were at the academy at my age.”

“Yes, but that was different,” Nii-san shot back as he stood and went to pick up the bags.

“How?” demanded Rio, jumping up from his seat. “I could be just as good as you if you gave me a chance!”

“I went to the academy early so we could leave the orphanage,” Nii-san replied, still calm as he picked up the two bags. “There’s no reason for you to go early.”

“You did! It’s not fair that you’re treating me like I’m not good enough when you won’t even give me a chance!” Rio yelled, his eyes burning.

Nii-san dropped the bags, the two thumps echoing around the apartment. He turned slowly and Rio could finally see his exterior crack.

“It is not about how good you are,” Nii-san chastised. “This is peacetime which means no early admittance! When I went we were still at war with Kumo! This has nothing to do with your ability!”

“Rio.”

He turned to look into soft, pink eyes.

“You know we think you’re the best kid ever.”

“If it wasn’t peacetime, would you let me go?” Rio snapped back, hating the silence that followed his question.

“Rio-”

“No!” Rio shook his head and took a few steps back. “You always do this.”

“What-”

“You never tell me anything and you never let me do anything! You just dump me with the Inuzuka so I don’t get in your way! I’m not a baby anymore!”

The tears were flowing now.

“You always leave me out! I can do stuff too but you don’t think that I can! You don’t tell me anything! I know the way the village looks at me! I know other kids avoid me and make fun of me! I know you talk about me behind my back! But nobody ever tells me why!”

“Rio, we’re just trying to look out for you.” He had never seen his Nii-san look so hurt.

“Stop it! Why don’t you believe in me!?”

Rio couldn’t even see the other boys anymore, the tears blurring their faces.

“Why don’t you TRUST ME!?”

His throat hurt from the screaming. Unable to stay in the same room anymore, Rio ran to his room, slamming the door behind him. He didn’t listen to see if they were moving in the other room. He pulled his spare sandals on and opened the window, fleeing.

He didn’t know if he was running from his family or himself.

* * *

Naruto sniffled as a third hour passed without Rio coming home. He’d wanted to fling himself out the window after his little brother but Kazuya had talked him down. He had to let Rio calm down. He knew Kazuya was right but the sick feeling in his stomach only got worse the more time passed.

How hadn’t he seen it? How didn’t he know what his own little brother was thinking? How had he made him feel like this? What had he done?

He had only ever wanted the best for Rio. He wanted Rio to have the childhood he couldn’t have and that meant going to the academy with kids his age, with Kiba. He hadn’t been perfect, he knew that. They’d been going on only C-ranks for the past three months so they hadn’t exactly been around but Rio had always seemed happy enough with the Inuzuka. He’d even started staying in the apartment on his own at night.

It crushed him that Rio thought they didn’t believe in him, that he was being left behind. Rio was the reason he had gotten this far, the reason he trained so hard, the reason he was even here. Naruto had no idea what he would have done if Rio hadn’t been there after their parents died.

He looked up as Kazuya slid into the seat in front of him. They were still covered in dirt and sweat from their C-rank but Naruto couldn’t bear missing Rio coming home if he went for a shower. Kazuya appeared to feel the same way.

“Are you going to tell him?”

Naruto looked away from his best friend, wiping the tears away.

“Yeah,” he mumbled. “I was gonna wait until the academy but he’s ready now.”

“Naruto, I know you want to protect him,” Kazuya started, tracing the wood of the table with a fingertip. “I do too, but the kid has a point.”

Naruto opened his mouth, to say what he didn’t know, but Kazuya continued.

“We’ve been overprotecting him. He spends most of his time with the Inuzuka, a shinobi clan so we know he’s aware of what this life entails. He’s watched us train his whole life. Of course he’s not going to understand why he can’t do the same.”

Naruto quietly nodded, sighing as he put his face in his hands. His head snapped to the door as Rio’s chakra slowly walked up the steps of the building. Kazuya was quick to grab his shoulder, forcing him back into his seat. He wasn’t even aware he stood up.

“Let him come to us,” Kazuya whispered, sitting back in his seat.

For all that Kazuya was the voice of reason; Naruto could see the same tension and guilt lining his shoulders. When Kazuya thought he wasn’t looking it crumpled his features and his pink eyes shone with unshed tears.

Rio’s chakra made it to the door and remained there for several minutes. When the door began to open, Naruto let out his breath that he hadn’t realised he was holding. His little brother walked in with his head down, fingers twisted around each other. As his head rose and his teary violet eyes met his, Naruto flung himself out of his chair and wrap his arms around Rio tightly.

“I’m so sorry,” he whispered into messy blond locks.

“Nii-san, I-”

Rio cut himself off as he squeezed his arms tighter around Naruto. Naruto released one arm to hold Kazuya as the brunet joined them, face wet with tears of his own. It would be okay. They were together. They would be okay.

* * *

It took a while before the three calmed down enough to speak. Naruto sat with a cup of tea in front of him, with Kazuya giving one to Rio in front of him before sliding into the chair next to the younger boy.

“Rio,” Naruto began with a wobbly smile. “I want you to listen to me before you say anything else, okay?”

Rio nodded, sniffling and wiping his eyes with his sleeve.

“There are things I haven’t told you. It was never to make you feel like I didn’t trust you, but these are some big things. S-rank secrets that I needed to know you could keep. Even Kazuya doesn’t know it all.”

Rio looked to Kazuya to see him nod before turning wide eyes back to Naruto.

“Stay here.”

Naruto stood and walked to his room, crouching to retrieve a box from beneath his desk. He knew he shouldn’t have this, it was terrible practice to keep evidence around but he could never bear to part with it. He brought the box back to the kitchen table and put it down, sliding back into his seat. Taking the lid off, he reached in and took out a photo frame and gently brushed off the dust. He handed it to Rio and watched the confusion cloud his features.

“This is the Yondaime Hokage,” Rio stated, staring down at the old photo. “This lady with him, she’s got your hair.”

Naruto nodded as understanding dawned on Kazuya’s face.

“You’re the blond kid?”

“Yes.”

Naruto reached out and pointed to himself.

“This is me on my first birthday. Tou-chan and Kaa-chan made a huge fuss, Tou-chan even dropped his Hokage duties for that one day,” he smiled, sitting back in his seat. “The only time I think I saw them happier is when they found out they were going to have you, Rio.”

His brother’s mouth opened but nothing came out.

“I was so happy. I got to visit Tou-chan in his office, Kaa-chan took me to Ichiraku’s and my godparents visited all the time. My life was going to get even better too; I was going to be a big brother.”

“The Yondaime’s my dad?” Rio asked quietly, staring down at the photograph.

“Our parents were Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina. Our full names are Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto and Norio.”

“So wait,” Kazuya broke in. “When you said that your parents named you after the Yondaime’s son...”

“I lied. It was the best excuse Jiji and I could come up with for why I have the name Naruto. I didn’t want to lose that too.”

“But why... why do you have to lie?”

Naruto looked into Rio’s confused eyes.

“Our father made many enemies, Sunshine,” he explained sadly. “Iwa would have come for our heads if they knew we were alive. People saw me run towards the Kyūbi in the attack and the bandages after covered up my face for the most part. It was too good a chance to pass up.”

“Why don’t you look like the kid in the picture?” Kazuya frowned. “I’ve never seen you dye your hair.”

“My blond hair and whiskers were too recognisable even with the scarring. Ero-sennin used a seal that hides them. It runs on my chakra so bar dying, it’ll never stop. But Rio,” Naruto leaned forward. “It’s important that you never tell anyone, not even Kiba. Maybe in the future when you’ve graduated and make chunin, but until then it’s safer to keep hidden.”

“I know the Yondaime died in the attack but what about mum?” Rio asked desperately.

“They both died that night,” Naruto admitted. “That’s something else I wanted to tell you.”

Rio put the picture on the table, staring at Naruto intently. This was a lot of information but he had to know. He deserved to know.

“That night the Kyūbi didn’t come to Konoha, he was released here.”

Seeing the confusion on Rio’s face he continued.

“There are people that act as containers for beings like the Kyūbi. You’ve seen me seal kunai into scrolls for missions, right?” Naruto watched Rio nod. “Same thing. The person is not the Bijū, just the container for them.”

“The night of the attack the seal was weakened and the Kyūbi broke out. That’s why the attack happened. The container was our mother since Uzumaki’s were found to be perfect containers,” Naruto recited what he’d managed to wheedle out of Jiji. “You can’t kill a Bijū so Tou-chan sealed the beast back up into another Uzumaki to save Konoha since Kaa-chan didn’t survive it escaping.”

Horror dawned on Rio’s face but Naruto knew he had to continue.

“You.”

“That’s why everyone hates me? ‘Cause I have the Kyūbi inside me?” Rio blurted out, a hand rising to cover his mouth.

Naruto nodded, gently taking Rio’s hand away from his mouth.

“You saved Konoha, Rio. The people who don’t like you don’t understand what you’re doing. Remember, when a scroll seals a kunai, it doesn’t become a kunai, right?”

Rio nodded but Naruto could see that he hadn’t heard him.

“This explains a lot.”

The brothers looked towards Kazuya. The other boy was smiling but Naruto could see the confusion and pain lining his face.

“I mean, you know the Hokage, Jiraiya of the Sannin and the Copy-Nin. It makes sense with who your parents are.”

Naruto sent a grateful look to Kazuya for trying and looked to Rio once again.

“I can’t let you go to the academy right now. They don’t allow early entrance in peacetime but we are going to start training you and preparing you for when you can go,” he promised, squeezing Rio’s hand gently. “I know this is a lot, but you have to swear to keep this a secret. All of it.”

Rio watched him for a moment and Naruto couldn’t read him at all. The younger boy then nodded and stood, clutching the photo frame.

“Can I think about it all? I promise I won’t tell but...”

“Of course, Sunshine,” Naruto smiled, receiving the hug from his brother before he went to his room.

He felt Rio’s signature settle and released a deep breath. He wasn’t going to leave again. His head snapped to Kazuya as the brunet coughed, the tiredness from the mission and this whole evening hitting him.

“Your life is insane.”

“Yeah,” Naruto rubbed his eyes. “It’s just one big S-ranked secret.”

“You didn’t tell him about the whole dying thing.”

“No, I didn’t,” Naruto replied curtly, gathering the cups of cold tea and pouring them down the drain. “I told him this because it affected him. It’s his family and his body. This thing is mine and I’m not going to worry him over something that’s going to happen in like ten years.”

Kazuya threw up his hands in surrender.

“It’s your choice.”

He lowered his hands and looked pensive for a moment.

“My mother’s name was Arai Yua and her favourite colour was purple. My dad died on a mission when I was one so I don’t remember him at all.”

Naruto stared at his friend in surprise and came over to sit in Rio’s seat.

“She loved to sing and worked at a bakery near our house. Our house always smelled of fresh bread,” Kazuya looked down at his hands. “When the Kyūbi attacked, we couldn’t get out in time. She shoved me out of the house right before it collapsed. I didn’t even have time to try to find her in the rubble. A chunin scooped me up and carried me to safety. It took me two days to find her name in the list of the dead.”

Naruto remained silent for a moment.

“Why?”

“Thanks,” Kazuya smiled sadly. “Thank you for trusting me with your family. Someone else should know about her and I trust you with mine.”

Naruto pulled his best friend in for a tight hug. This was good. They all needed this. They’d be fine.

* * *

Genma walked into the jounin standby station and melted into the red sofas with a groan. Raidō raised an eyebrow at him and Genma let out another groan for good measure.

“How’re your genin?” Kotetsu grinned at him from the sofa across from him. “Last time you came in like that they spiked your senbon with a laxative.”

“Damn Genma,” a voice spoke up. “What’d you do to them this time?”

Anko strode up to the group, Kurenai following close behind. Anko plonked herself beside Genma while Kurenai sat more gently beside Kotetsu.

“Can they prank their genin instructor?” Izumo piped up, sitting on Kotetsu’s other side and placing his steaming cup on his knee.

“With the hell Genma puts them through I think they’re an exception,” Raidō chuckled, elbowing Genma’s face gently.

Genma shot his friend a betrayed look before hauling himself up to sit up straight.

“You may laugh but these genin are insane,” he muttered. “Their hobbies are _training_. You try normal training methods when you got three workaholics bugging you.”

“Admit it,” Kotetsu leaned forward, grinning widely. “They’ve grown on you the last two years.”

Genma stuck him tongue out around his senbon but couldn’t refute him. When he was first faced with three tiny faces looking up at him, he could admit now that it had daunted him. S-rank mission, no problem. Being responsible for three kids under the age of eleven, big problem.

He’d tried his best to come up with training that would keep them safe. The dodge training had admittedly been fun but he knew it was an important skill that wasn’t really taught in the academy. There was a lot about being a shinobi that wasn’t taught at the academy. So it was his job to fill in the gaps and make sure that they don’t die on their first real mission.

Two years later, he was confident in his genins’ skill but he still tried to think outside the box with training. The more they faced in training, the better prepared they would be in the field. Genma was mostly sure that his team understood this but he supposed it didn’t make it any easier. He considered their retaliation for the hard training a training exercise for them all; stealth for them and awareness for him. It was good that they could think for themselves.

He would admit though there was nothing funnier than his genin stomping towards him, yelling about whatever he had unleashed on them that day. He was only human after all.

“You got the early grads, right?” Kurenai asked quietly.

“Yup,” Raidō answered for him. “Oldest turned twelve this year.”

Anko whistled.

“Damn, I heard about them. Weren’t they the ones in the Forest of Death a couple months ago?”

“Yup,” Genma grinned. “They asked to stay closer to the village for the next while so Naruto can train his brother for the academy so we’re mainly carrying out border patrols and guarding the village walls. I wanted to make sure they weren’t going soft.”

“Didn’t you drug them and put them there while they were sleeping?” Izumo frowned.

“I left a note,” Genma replied defensively.

“That said ‘You’re in the Forest of Death. Your training is to get out. Don’t die.”

“How do you even know that, Kotetsu?”

“I found the note and showed everyone,” Anko cackled.

“They’re genin!” Kurenai exclaimed. “You can’t do that!”

“They’ve been genin for a couple years now,” Genma shrugged, unapologetic. “I knew they could handle it and they did. They even managed to dye all my bandanas pink by the next day.”

“Fuck, I can’t believe I forgot about that!” Anko howled next to him, the chunin joining in.

“This is how his team bonds,” Raidō patted Kurenai’s arm sympathetically.

“Literally everything I’ve thrown at them since I became their jounin instructor, they’ve done it brilliantly and chucked something back at me,” Genma continued. “I’d bet my next mission pay they’re the best genin team in Konoha.”

“Look out! Proud papa has emerged!”

Genma shoved Anko over.

“Seriously though, I’ve seen one of them in the hospital learning medical jutsu,” Kotetsu said slowly. “I’ve seen the redhead too, but he was setting fire to a tree after messing up a seal. What’s the story with that?”

“That’s their own thing,” Genma threw his hands up. “I’m not much help for them but Naruto wanted to learn fūinjutsu and Kazuya medical jutsu. I pointed them in the right direction but that’s all them.”

“What about the Inuzuka?”

“Hana’s too busy learning her clan jutsu to pick up something else,” Genma answered Izumo.

“So let me get this straight. You torture your genin with batshit training ideas and they decided that they wanted to learn more?” Anko drawled. “They are insane.”

“They train with Gai too, sometimes. Voluntarily.”

A shudder passed through the group at the thought of the odd jounin’s workout routine.

“Are all genin teams like this?”

“I think this one is special, Kurenai,” smiled Raidō.

“So special that we never see you at the bars anymore; the men and women of Konoha are suffering in your absence.”

“Oh ha ha,” Genma levelled a quick glare at the purple-haired jounin.

“Everyone misses your drunken ass,” she continued.

“I don’t get drunk; I get awesome.”

“You awesomely fell off the table at the last chunin exams trying to impress that Suna chunin. You don’t find quality entertainment like that everywhere.”

“Shut up, Anko.”

Kotetsu chuckled across from him and snagged Izumo’s drink, taking a sip before offering it back to Izumo.

“I’m not drinking out of that,” Izumo’s face twisted in disgust. “Who knows where your mouth has been.”

Genma smiled at his friend’s antics. It was true that he didn’t spend as much time with them. Time was that he would have been out every week, a different companion every time. He still owed Anko a drinking contest after the last one had been hijacked by Gai and his challenges. He still had that in him but his focus was his team. Even after they became chunin and went off to do their own thing he knew that they’d always be his team. He’d always be there for them. It would be fun though when they could join him at the bars.

“I’m going to enter them into the chunin exams.”

His friends stopped talking to look at him.

“Not this year, though. I would have but it’s in Iwa,” he expanded. “Next year, since it’s in Kumo.”

“Makes sense,” shrugged Raidō. “They are going to better prepared than most.”

Genma shot a wide smile at his friend. He could always count on Raidō.

“Wait, but wouldn’t the youngest be ten next year?” Kotetsu wondered. “Are we going to have another Itachi?”

“I don’t think there could ever be a second Itachi,” Izumo pointed out, looking around for a clock.

He abruptly stood and pulled Kotetsu up with him.

“We’re on shift in five so we’ll see you guys later.”

“But Zumo,” whined Kotetsu. “This is some prime gossip right now. They won’t care if we’re a little late.”

“They will and we’re going,” Izumo huffed, dragging his friend towards the door. “You need to take your duties more seriously.

“Good luck with the genin, Genmaaaaa!” Kotetsu yelled behind him.

Genma chuckled and stood himself.

“I should go too. I’ve got to assess them tomorrow and see what we need to work on before the exams.”

He got a grumble from Anko and a soft goodbye from Kurenai. Raidō shot him a warm smile.

“You’ve done great with them.”

Genma smiled back and headed out the door.

* * *

The same evening, Naruto weaved his way through the village trying to help Kazuya find the flower shop one of the medics at the hospital had recommended for herbs. He felt a pulse of chakra from his friend and switched directions. It wasn’t long before he spotted the purple in the near distance and he jogged up to stand next to his friend, looking at the sign above the shop.

‘Yamanaka Flowers’. This was the place.

He followed Kazuya in and the scent of flowers overpowered him for a moment. As he looked around at the sea of colours, Kazuya strode to the desk where a blonde girl about Rio’s age was reading a book. She looked up and sky blue eyes characteristic of the Yamanaka clan scanned them as she placed the book down.

“Hi! Welcome to Yamanaka Flowers. Are you looking for something or just browsing?”

“Hi, yeah, someone from the hospital told me here was best for herbs and flowers?” Kazuya smiled back and Naruto made his way to stand next to him once again.

“If you’re look for medicinal herbs then the Nara are best for that,” she said, flipping the long blonde bang out of her face only for it to settle back in place. “We can do flowers though. Any specifically you’re looking for?”

Kazuya began to dig around his pockets for his list.

“Your hair is incredible, by the way.”

“What?” Naruto blurted out, hand rising to touch the red strands as the girl turned to look at him.

He hadn’t really thought about his hair other than to tie it up out of the way. Hana still liked to experiment with it though and today she’d braided two long strips on each side of his head and brought them together in a small bun. The rest of his hair hung loose in waves over his shoulders.

“I’ve never seen that shade of red before,” the girl smiled. “Who did the braids?”

“My teammate.” He dropped his hand from his hair.

“It’s beautiful. Although it’s kind of ruined by the orange; red and orange together are just too much.”

Naruto frowned as he looked down at his orange t-shirt. What was people’s problem with orange? It was a great colour.

“Tell me about it,” Kazuya chuckled. “I’ve been trying to tell him for years but he won’t listen. He should stick to blue and black.”

The girl giggled and took the offered list.

“Purple will always be best though. I’m Ino,” she grinned.

“Kazuya and this eyesore is Naruto.”

Naruto shoved at his friend who had the audacity to dodge.

“We have most of these but I can ask my dad about the passionflower and jasmine,” she shouted behind her as she disappeared through a door.

Kazuya turned to him, a mocking grin already plastered across his face.

“Shut up,” Naruto grumbled. “She’s basically a female you.”

Kazuya laughed before moving further up the counter, drawn to a pot of delicate pink flowers sitting on the surface.

“These are cool,” he mumbled, reaching out a hand.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

Kazuya snapped his hand back as Naruto looked at the tall blond man that had appeared, Ino close behind. The man took the pot and placed it under the counter with a stern look to his daughter who looked faintly guilty.

“Those were nerium oleander,” the man explained. “Very poisonous and shouldn’t have been left out.”

“Poisonous?” Kazuya asked eagerly.

“Flowers can do many things. They can kill just as easily as heal; depending on how you use them, a single flower can do both.”

Kazuya’s eyes brightened.

“Are you looking to become a medic? A good knowledge of poisons would be beneficial for that,” the Yamanaka continued. “Though you seem a bit young for training to be a medic.”

“We’re genin,” Naruto piped up, regretting leaving the headbands behind.

People always took them more seriously with the headbands.

“Really?” Ino leaned on the counter. “You’re like academy age.”

Naruto muttered about growth spurts under his breath as Kazuya took over.

“I started studying this stuff like two years ago,” he stated firmly. “I know what I’m doing Yamanaka-san.”

“Please call me Inoichi,” the man waved off. “You’re the early graduates then?”

They both nodded.

“Well, we can get you everything on this list bar the passionflower. We’re due a shipment of them in two weeks so if you come back then,” Inoichi told them, giving the list to Ino. “Ino will gather them up for you.”

“Can I add a couple poisonous flowers to that order?” Kazuya quickly asked, Naruto shooting him a confused look.

“I can give you the oleanders and calla lilies to start you off,” Inoichi nodded. “If you need any advice feel free to come back anytime. We’ll make sure to label the flowers too.”

“Probably for the best,” Kazuya grinned. “Don’t want Rio messing with them.”

“Rio?” Ino popped back into view.

“Our younger brother,” Naruto supplied. “He’ll probably end up going to the academy with you.”

Thinking on his brother, Naruto looked around the shop.

“Flowers have meaning, right? Which ones are used for mourning?”

Since he’d told Rio the truth they hadn’t mentioned it since. Maybe it would be good to actually visit their parents’ graves before the Rinne Festival, to help Rio come to terms with it.

“White lilies,” Inoichi answered quietly, pointing to the white star-shaped flowers by the entrance.

“Can I get two bouquets of white lilies, then?”

“Make that three.”

Naruto looked over to see Kazuya smiling sadly at him.

Ino finally finished gathering their order and a rainbow of colours covered the counter.

“Can you guys carry all this? We have a delivery option,” Ino asked, eyeing the bundles of flowers.

“It’s cool,” Kazuya grinned as he handed over the yen to Inoichi. “I don’t just hang out with a guy who wears orange for fun.”

Naruto stuck his tongue out at the brunet as he pulled a scroll from his pocket. He had been working on a new storage seal and this was the perfect time to test it. He began picking up the flower bundles and sealing them in, moving quickly.

“That looks a bit different than a normal storage seal,” Inoichi commented, coming closer after handing Kazuya the change.

Naruto nodded as he pointed to the bit he’d changed.

“Normal storage seals just seal equipment and ration bars but aren’t great for fresh food,” he explained, continuing to seal the flowers. “I changed the stasis component of the seal so it would store food and flowers and stuff and keep it fresh the whole time it’s sealed. I also had to add a cooling component that would work on the contents of the seal and that was a nightmare.”

“Oh man,” Kazuya groaned at the memory. “The living room was freezing for weeks ‘cause it kept going wrong.”

“Like you’re any better. I remember going to find food and you’d practiced your stitches on everything in the flat. We were pulling threads out of everything for days every time we wanted to eat.”

“Nothing else was soft enough!”

A cough brought them out of their argument and they looked to the Yamanaka’s sheepishly.

“Sorry,” Kazuya offered as Naruto finished up.

“Yeah,” Naruto placed the scroll back in his pocket. “Thanks for the flowers.”

“Come back anytime, boys,” Inoichi smiled.

They bid goodbye and headed out for home. They missed Inoichi’s narrowed gaze and contemplative expression.


	13. We’ve Come So Far But We’ve Got So Far To Go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Team 7 get beaten up by their sensei for the greater good and Rio hates burpees

Genma entered the training ground, spotting his genin stretching beneath the shade of the trees on the opposite side of the clearing. As he came up to them, they each jumped to their feet still stretching their arms out. He paused for a moment, taking his team in.

They’d all grown in the two years since they’d become a team. Not just in height but they way they held themselves had changed; confidence really made a difference. They wore almost the same outfits as when they’d graduated although there were subtle changes. Naruto had traded his shorts for black trousers; Genma had made sure both the boys tied up the ends of their trousers with bandages within the first month. Hana had avoided this, sticking with her black biker shorts. He’d managed to wrangle the boys into wearing black on missions but in the village he just left them alone. Naruto’s orange t-shirts were a major disadvantage in their stealth exercises even without the long, bright red hair that was tied up in a high messy bun today. Kazuya was slightly better, muting the purple tunic with an open brown waistcoat although he was wearing brown gloves today. Thank Kami for Hana; the girl stuck to black.

“Training today is going to be a bit different today,” he announced, immediately attracting wary looks. “I know how well you work as a team but I’m going to fight you individually today to see how far you’ve come and what you still need to work on. Your aim is to beat me.”

“Why?” Kazuya narrowed his eyes as the other two started warming up.

“I’ll tell you later. For now, you boys go sit down. Hana, we’ll start with you.”

* * *

Hana darted through the bushes, finding herself back in the clearing. Her breath escaped her harshly and the forming bruises distracted her from her search for her sensei. She sniffed and rolled out the way, her sensei appearing where she had just been standing. She staggered to her feet, throwing a couple of kunai at her sensei to buy herself a breath.

Genma-sensei hadn’t been kidding when he said he was testing them today. It had started as a taijutsu fight and Hana felt pretty good about it. Taijutsu was her strong point and her clan’s style was particularly brutal; against a jounin though that didn’t mean much. She had managed a couple of good hits but he’d got twice as many on her. It went downhill from there. He’d trapped her in three genjutsu and shot at least four fire ninjutsu at her while she had been in the trees, trying to catch him by surprise. Tracking him wasn’t the issue; actually using his location to her advantage was. Even when she’s used _Shikyaku no Jutsu_ before entering the trees, this had only just kept her out of reach.

She thought she’d managed to catch him out with _Bakuretsu Koinu_ , but the kunai released from the technique missed and that was the only technique she could use in such an enclosed environment. She didn’t have that issue now. Her hand’s quickly flipped through the familiar seals, the Haimaru brothers gathering around her.

“ _Juujin Bunshin!_ ” she yelled, smoke briefly clouding her vision as her dogs transformed into her.

“ _Gatsuuga!_ ” she screamed immediately after, spinning with one of the transformed dogs, the other two flanking the jounin.

She slammed into the ground, Genma-sensei jumping backward and deflecting the swipes from her dogs’ claws with a kunai. She picked herself back up; she only had enough chakra for one more.

“ _Gatsuuga!_ ”

She pushed forward, faster, further. She caught the edge of his arm as he dodged again. As the spin stopped, she felt someone grab her arm and yank her off her feet. As she felt the cold metal tip at her throat she tried to push down the tears of frustration.

“Well done.”

She looked up into her sensei’s smiling face as she was helped up. The Haimaru bothers transformed back around her and she limped towards her teammates, Genma-sensei beside her. She should have done way better; had she really made so little progress since graduation?

“Here.”

Hana looked up from the ground to see Naruto holding out two water bottles. She took it gratefully pouring half of one down her throat and pouring the other into the bowls already set out by the boys. She patted the head of each of the pups, pride briefly dampening her disappointment. They‘d done so well.

“You never told us you had gotten so good with your clan techniques,” Kazuya piped up once she put down the empty water bottles.

“Yeah,” grinned Naruto beside him. “That was insane! I’d be fucked if you ever broke out a _Gatsuuga_ in our spars.”

She smiled slightly, the boys comments helping to raise her morale even just by a little bit. She looked towards her sensei.

“You got me good with that last one,” Genma-sensei congratulated. “They’re right; your clan techniques and taijutsu are shaping up nicely.”

Hana nodded in thanks, still catching her breath. She watched as Genma-sensei wrapped a bandage around where she’d hit and felt some satisfaction. At least she’s managed to land a proper hit on him; he definitely hadn’t been taking it easy on her either. Genma-sensei beckoned to Kazuya next and she lay back, staring at the clear blue sky and taking a moment to feel the soft breeze caress her heated skin.

Sometimes it didn’t feel real. Often she though back to that lunchtime, how innocent she had been to how that one question would change her life. Nothing had been easy since that day and she wouldn’t change a thing. She graduated early, the first Inuzuka to do so in over a decade; she was a part of the youngest genin team in the recorded history of Konoha; she had never seen her mother so happy than the day of her graduation; best of all, she got to do it all with her best friends.

Hana knew the other two lived together with Naruto’s younger brother. There was a level of friendship between them she doesn’t think she could ever compare to. They did everything together; it was rare to see one without the other. They even finished each other’s sentences. The closest thing Hana could compare it to was Makoto and Nakano. They were the oldest members of the clan and have been married almost forty years. Every time Hana saw them they were either bickering with or helping their other half.

It hurt sometimes. When she would hear them talking about things that she hadn’t been there for it made her feel like the odd genin out. When this happened though, she had to remind herself that the same happened with her; she had an entire clan behind her and her teammates could never understand that. When it was team training or missions though these thoughts never occurred. They were equals, each with something to contribute and something they could help the other with. Hana was the physically strongest with the strongest taijutsu and she knew she had her clan to thank for that. They were also united in their suffering; no one else had survived being Genma-sensei’s students and Hana knew even without the bond they had formed in the academy that the training exercises would have united them.

She heaved herself back up, her breathing finally back to a normal rhythm. She returned Naruto’s smile and look over to the clearing just in time to see Kazuya diving for the tree line.

* * *

Kazuya immediately channelled chakra to his feet and leapt up, sprinting up the tree. As he made it halfway up, he switched trunks and continued to run. He needed to think about this. He didn’t have the Hana’s taijutsu or Naruto’s speed. He had medical jutsu and kunai; he was the smart one, the one with the books. He needed to figure out a plan. This would be so much easier if he knew where Genma-sensei was.

He climbed higher as he heard shuriken thump into the section of wood he had just stood on. Think, think! What can he do to get close? He had his chakra scalpels and his kunai. He had finally managed to distil the oleander from the Yamanaka’s to a gel-like liquid he had spread on the edges of his kunai although it had taken him all night. Genma-sensei would dodge that easily if he threw it and he had a limited supply. He just had to get close to Genma-sensei without getting beaten up. He looked down to see Genma-sensei had joined him on the tree, swirling a kunai on one finger.

“A dead-end this early? I expected better.”

Kazuya looked around. It was pretty dense but his sensei was right; he couldn’t go any higher. An idea popped into his brain and if he wasn’t so hopped up on adrenaline right now he would have dismissed it outright. This was an idea worthy of Naruto which is how he knew it might be crazy enough to work. As his sensei took another step towards him, Kazuya took a kunai out of his pouch, the gloves protecting him from the poison. He sent a prayer to whoever was out there before he pushed off the truck, beginning to fall headfirst towards the ground. He twisted to face the trunk and only caught a glimpse of his sensei’s shocked face as he slashed at him, catching the same arm Hana had damaged before.

As he continued to fall he dropped the kunai, frantically pushing chakra into his hands and trying to reach the trunk. He managed to slam his right hand back onto the tree and a cry left him as he came to an abrupt halt. His shoulder was yanked forward and fully out of its socket. Kazuya cut the chakra and dropped the rest of the way to the ground, unable to roll to distribute the weight. His shoulder screamed and he couldn’t move his arm but it worked. It worked and he didn’t die! All he had to do was stall. Lessons on fixing a dislocation flashed through his mind but he didn’t have time; he eyed the tree in front of him as his sensei’s footsteps finally started back up. He ran into the tree, screaming as his shoulder was shoved back into place.

He barely scrambled away in time and shot back towards the clearing. He broke through the tree line and turned back to face his sensei as he also emerged. Kazuya wiggled his fingers; okay, good, they still moved, he hadn’t damaged the nerves. It hurt so much though. He hadn’t hurt like this since he lived with his uncle.

He focussed on his sensei in front of him and formed the chakra scalpels he’d painstakingly practiced over the past year and half. Genma-sensei eyed them warily as Kazuya exploded forward. His sensei flashed to his right side and Kazuya couldn’t raise the scalpel in time to stop the hand that forced his head in the ground. He released the chakra and just puffed angrily into the dirt. That had been pathetically short.

“Good effort,” Genma-sensei took his hand away and rolled him over, checking Kazuya’s shoulder. “Short but that move you pulled surprised me. If you hadn’t dislocated your arm doing it, it would have worked brilliantly. Those chakra scalpels too, you’d be excellent in close quarters if you trained on them specifically for combat rather than the hospital.”

He helped him up and Kazuya followed him back to the others. His eyes caught the beads of blood on his sensei’s sleeve and he grinned.

“I didn’t totally lose, Sensei.”

Genma turned to him in confusion and Kazuya plonked himself next to Hana.

“I cut you.”

Genma nodded, not getting it.

“I would have died then but you’d be dead in a few hours,” he explained, throwing Naruto the scroll that had thankfully stayed in his pocket.

The redhead rested his hand on the scroll and soon summoned a vial of light purple liquid. He offered it to Genma and their sensei took it with growing understanding.

“Nerium oleander.” Kazuya grinned. “Pretty flower, nasty poison.”

He watched Genma-sensei knock back the antidote and a sense of pride glowed within him at the grin on Genma-sensei’s face.

“Brilliant. When did you start getting into poisons?”

“Yesterday.”

“What?”

“He literally spent all night making that,” Naruto offered, shooting a fond but exasperated look his way. “He literally bought the flowers yesterday and spent the whole night figuring out how to weaponise it.”

Genma stared at him for a moment longer before his head was thrown back in a loud laugh. He shook his head.

“Even two years later, you’re still surprising me.”

Kazuya another thought and decided he might as well say it now.

“I know my dream now, Sensei.”

At the looks from his team, he continued.

“I want to be the best poison expert in the Elemental Nations.”

“I thought you were going to be a medic nin,” Naruto wondered, raising a red brow.

“I am,” Kazuya nodded. “When I say I’m going to be the best I mean it all; best at using it, making it and treating it; best at using the same flower to kill enemies and help allies. I’m going to be both the medical expert and fighting expert when it comes to poison and the best at using these same ingredients as a medic nin to help people.”

It had come to him at 2am that morning as he’d sat surrounded by books and on his third attempt at distilling the concentrated poison. This is what he wanted to do. He’d loved working in the hospital but nothing had truly grabbed him. Not like this.

“I’m glad you figured out your dream, Kazuya,” Genma-sensei smiled.

“It’s an awesome dream,” Hana added.

He looked to Naruto to see the younger boy holding out a fist. He brought his good arm up and bumped it.

“You’re gonna be amazing, Pinku-baka.”

“You know it, Aka-chan.”

* * *

Naruto pulled his fist back and stood, bouncing slightly in place. Since he was last, he’d had some time to prepare and his new explosive tags were firmly stuck to his kunai, ready to be launched. He was almost definitely sure Genma-sensei had chosen this order specifically to give him more time to prepare; Hana was the strongest so she had no time to plan and Kazuya only had a short time to figure something out being the next strongest. That left him for last, the youngest and weakest of the team.

He followed his sensei to the centre of the clearing. The trees weren’t an option; he knew what the other two had been going for but it wouldn’t work against a jounin. They couldn’t beat him with taijutsu so they went for the guerrilla tactics; they’d been practically living in the trees since they graduated so against a shinobi from any other village it might’ve worked. It was also difficult to use long range tactics since Genma-sensei was fast enough to dodge if they didn’t catch him by surprise.

They came to a stop in the middle of the clearing and Naruto faced the jounin, swallowing his nerves. As Genma-sensei called for the start, Naruto dropped his hand into his pouch and snapped his kunai out, spraying them out in all directions. Genma-sensei cocked his head.

“What’re you aiming for?”

Naruto scanned the field. Good, he managed to cover at least half the clearing. His attention was grasped by Genma-sensei appearing in front of him. Naruto dove to the side and flashed through his modified hand seals for _kawarimi_. He switched with one of the kunai on the outer edges and as he hit the ground quickly formed the modified snake seal to trigger the kunai closest to where he could feel Genma-sensei.

He grinned as an explosion rocked the air. Worth every single time he set fire to the coffee table... and the trees after Kazuya had kicked him out when his medical textbooks got a bit singed. His grin dropped as the explosions kept going, a chain reaction that was rapidly working its way to him. He scrambled away and stood, watching the massive trail of smoke rise into the air as the explosions died out.

Note to self, space kunai further apart. Naruto ducked as he felt Genma-sensei pop up behind him. He swept his leg back but his sensei jumped and the two separated to face each other. Naruto’s grin returned at the sight of the soot covering Genma-sensei’s face although it looked like he had avoided the actual fire part.

“Not bad, Naruto, but what will you do now you’ve used up your best weapons?”

“Bold of you to assume those were my only weapons.”

Genma-sensei opened his mouth but before he could comment Naruto threw another kunai into the air above.

“ _Kai!_ ”

He rolled out of the way as the boulder he’d stored into the seal appeared, dropping to where they had just stood with a loud thud. Naruto smothered a laugh as swearing reached him from where his sensei had dodged. He reached back into his kunai pouch and took another two kunai out; only three left. He had no idea what was in these; it’d been so long since he prepared these ones. Maybe he should note these things down in the future.

He threw one to roughly the area he could sense his sensei and released the storage seal. As a deluge of water rained down he felt Genma-sensei appear behind him and pain shot through his head. As he felt another blow to his leg he dropped to his knees, frantically yelling _kai_ and hoping this one didn’t have the other boulder. Packets of instant ramen appeared and Naruto groaned; he definitely needed to label these things in the future. He felt Sensei’s kunai on the back of his neck and groaned louder, leg and head throbbing. His sensei lifted the kunai and he rolled over, panting. That had been even shorter than Kazuya’s.

Genma-sensei helped him up and helped him back to the rest of team. Naruto tried to keep the tears at bay; he knew he was the worst on the team but this was pathetic. He stared at the ground as he sat down, shame filling him.

“Hey.”

Naruto looked up into his sensei’s eyes.

“You’re incredible, you know that?”

Shock raced through him. He was present for that fight, right?

“I don’t even know jounin who can use seals so creatively.”

“Yeah, Aka-chan!” Kazuya piped up. “You literally dropped a boulder on him!”

“And blew him up!” Hana added.

“Yeah,” Genma-sensei grimaced, looking back at the ruined training ground. “You really went all out.”

Naruto wiped the tears off his cheek, chuckling.

“So.” Genma-sensei clapped his hands. “Let’s review today’s training.”

Naruto’s smile dropped and he shared nervous glances with the other genin.

“So I know you’re wondering why we did this today-”

“You mean why you suddenly decided to kick our ass,” Kazuya interrupted.

Genma-sensei shot him a look but continued.

“I wanted to get a feel for your abilities as a whole. I know your skill level in stealth and intelligence gathering from your missions and you all pass the dodge training within ten minutes now. I didn’t test the full range of taijutsu, genjutsu and ninjutsu today but what mattered was how you coped with a stronger opponent.”

Their sensei grinned around his senbon.

“You’re high genin level in all these basics but it’s the extra stuff you’ve been doing that pushes you all to almost chunin level.”

“Chunin?”

Genma-sensei smiled at Hana.

“I’m going to nominate you for the chunin exams!” he announced cheerfully.

Naruto’s voice joined his teammates in shock before a thought occurred to him.

“Wait, it’s in Iwa this year.”

“I’m talking about next year’s July exam in Kumo,” Genma-sensei nodded. “We did this to see what we need to improve before then.”

“Hana, your taijutsu and clan techniques are already chunin level along with your tracking but your stealth needs a lot of work. Your genjutsu and weapon handling need improvement too and although you’re the physically the strongest, you’re also the slowest.”

He turned to Kazuya next.

“You panicked which meant you got both corralled and injured. You’re at a disadvantage compared to these two in situational awareness but I know you’re the best at genjutsu and strategy. Your medical jutsu are really coming along too; those scalpels could really be incredible if you got the hang of them. You could be brilliant in close range combat with both your scalpels and poisons in the mix.”

Finally, he set his warm brown eyes on Naruto.

“Your basics need a lot of work but between your sensing and fūinjutsu you can keep up no problem. You’re the fastest on the team, your weapon handling has come a long way and even with your red hair you are the best as far as stealth and tracking go. I meant it when I said you were incredible when it came to fūinjutsu. The plan you had to swap with the kunai to keep out of reach and blow me up at the same time was good, but there are some kinks we need to work out.”

“So essentially, we suck as much as we’re awesome?” Kazuya summarised, chin in his hand.

“You’ve all come a long way,” Genma-sensei took a seat. “On our first day you couldn’t dodge a kunai, now you’re good enough to ruffle a jounin on your own.”

Naruto took in their sensei’s appearance. Some of the soot had been washed off his face from the water and the bandana covering his hair was more black than blue at this point. His uniform was rumpled and bandages were wrapped around his arm.

“We didn’t even get you to spit out the senbon, though,” he pointed out.

“That’s a jounin exam level feat,” Genma-sensei winked.

He reached into one of his pockets and pulled out four small sheets of blank paper.

“We can work on your individual weaknesses but there is something we can work on that concerns all of you,” he said, handing each of the genin one and keeping one for himself. “You all need to expand your ninjutsu repertoire.”

Genma-sensei held up his paper and Naruto’s eyes widened as they watched it catch fire and burn up.

“This is chakra paper and it tells you which element you have a natural inclination for,” Genma explained, brushing the ashes from his fingers. “As you saw, mine is fire which is the most common in Konoha.”

Naruto looked down at his own paper and sent a pulse of chakra through his right arm. As the paper sliced cleanly in half, Naruto looked up to see his friends’ papers crumble to ash in a similar manner to their sensei.

“Okay, so Hana and Kazuya, you have the same as me. Fire is strong against wind but weak against water. Naruto, you have wind which is weak to fire but strong against lightning.” Genma folded his arms. “This is a great mix for combinations since Naruto’s wind techniques would make you two’s fire even stronger.”

“So? We’re going to learn ninjutsu?” Kazuya asked, wiping his hand on his trousers.

“Once you become chunin you can learn how to change your chakra into your chakra element but for now, you don’t need to do that. Knowing your natures just makes it easier for you to learn your element’s jutsu. We’ll start off with a couple C-ranks jutsu next week to get you started.”

Their sensei stood and Naruto slowly followed, rubbing his leg.

“Right now though, we’ll go get you checked out at the hospital.”

Naruto followed his teammates out of the training ground, limping but excited for the year to come. He could be a chunin this time next year.

* * *

Rio stumbled into the apartment, panting and wheezing as he landed face first on the couch. As his brothers walked in behind him, talking about something he was too wiped to listen to.

“Want some breakfast?”

He groaned loudly into the pillow.

“That’s a yes, then.”

They hadn’t been kidding when they said they were going to start his training for the academy. They’d started dragging him out at the crack of dawn to build up his stamina and Rio could only make about two laps. He’d spent most of the time dying by the gates as he watched them appear each time they completed a lap; he hadn’t bothered counting. That wasn’t even going into the torture of the press-ups and sit-ups and horrifying things called burpees.

It had taken a while for it all to sink in but in the time since he’d found out about his parents and the Kyūbi nothing had really changed. Nii-san and Kazu-nee didn’t treat him any different; if anything Nii-san had been more open than ever, telling him stories about the family he never got to know. Rio looked at things a little differently now though, the new information filling in gaps that he hadn’t even realised were there.

A knock came from the door and Rio could hear Kiba’s loud greeting. Oh man, he had promised to hang with Kiba at the park today. His friend landed on top of him and Rio yelped, sitting up abruptly and dumping the Inuzuka on the ground. He glared down at his best friend as he sat up grumpily, limbs protesting as he melted back into the cushions.

“What’s up with you?”

“He went out training with us,” Nii-san spoke up, sitting down heavily beside Rio and flinging his arm around Rio’s shoulders. “We’ve started him on the training menu we used when we were your age.”

Kiba nodded in understanding.

“Mum has been putting me through the wringer too,” he grumbled, ruffling his already messy brown hair. “I could barely walk after the first training session.”

“Would you believe me if I told you that you’ll grow to enjoy it?” Nii-san laughed like the sadist he was.

“Naruto, move your stuff from the table.”

Nii-san sighed and got back up. Rio watched him gather his sealing stuff from the table and move it into his room. He wasn’t allowed to touch that stuff and he’d seen enough incidents of it going wrong that he was willing to follow that rule to the letter. They were on their third coffee table and Rio was still wondering why they kept getting wooden ones.

“Kiba, come set the table and Rio, go wash up a bit.”

Rio heaved himself up to the bathroom as his friend bounced into the kitchen. Once he felt marginally more human, he went back through and plonked himself next to Kiba at the table.

“Have you guys got training or missions today?” he asked, as Kazu-nee set out the four plates of omelette rice.

Nii-san put down the bowls of miso soup next to the plates, holding up his hands as Kiba shot him a look.

“I didn’t make it, just helped carry it over.”

“We don’t want a repeat of Ramen Week.”

Nii-san shot a betrayed look at Kazu-nee as Rio muffled his giggles.

“Kazuya-nii, you can’t ever get a cold ever again,” Kiba laughed out loud.

“Try once to help out and stop my family from starving and this is what I get?” Nii-san dropped into his seat opposite Rio, an offended look wavering into a grin.

“I liked Ramen Week,” Rio chirped.

“Of course you did,” Kazu-nee rolled his eyes, placing the steaming cups of tea on the table before taking a seat himself.

“I’ve raised you so well,” Nii-san wiped a fake tear from his eye.

Rio clapped his hands and thanked Kazu-nee for the meal before digging in.

“So missions or training?” Rio repeated.

“I’m at the hospital today,” Kazu-nee shrugged. “I finally convinced Ikeda-sensei to let me shadow him in the poisons division. I’ll get to see the different treatment techniques and if I’m lucky, I can pick his brain for some decent books.”

Rio shared a disgusted look with Kiba at the mention of books. It was definitely not their strong suit.

“I’ve got taijutsu training all day,” added Nii-san. “Got a new menu from Gai that’s going to add some power to my kicks.”

“Nee-san is with mum today. Said they were going to work on her coordination with the dogs,” Kiba shoved some more egg into his mouth, the red fangs on his cheeks bulging out.

“And you two?”

“We’re going to the park,” Rio answered his brother. “Shikamaru and Chouji are going to meet us there.”

“That’s the Nara and the Akimichi, right?” Kazu-nee asked, taking a sip of tea.

Rio nodded with his mouth full and Kiba took over.

“Yeah! They’re gonna be in the academy with us.”

Rio swallowed, washing it down with the warm green tea.

“Shikamaru is super lazy and wants to look at clouds all day but he’s really smart,” he added. “Chouji always has the best snacks.”

They’d met the pair the month before at the same park they were meeting at today. Rio had tripped over Shikamaru while he’d been gazing at the sky and by the time he’d picked himself back up and apologised to the other boy, Kiba had begun sharing food with Chouji. Last week there had been some blonde girl who yelled at his new friends; Rio was hoping she wouldn’t be there this time.

“You can bring the riceballs I made yesterday with you to share for lunch,” Kazu-nee offered.

“Thanks Kazuya-nii!” Kiba cheered. “You make the best food!”

“Are we going to meet these new friends?”

“Probably,” Rio shrugged.

“Calm down, Aka-chan,” Kazu-nee chuckled. “Maybe worry about that new seal you’ve been working on.”

“It’s finished,” Nii-san frowned.

“If by finished you mean that it’s meant to zap you every time you use it then, then yes you’re all done.”

Rio finished up his last mouthful and began to help Nii-san clear the table, Kiba joining them after a moment as Kazuya sat back and nursed his cup of tea.

“Smartass.”

“Just skilled in pointing things out that dumbasses can’t figure out for themselves.”

Rio snorted as Nii-san repeated Kazu-nee’s comment in a high, nasally voice. They got all the dishware next to the sink and Rio moved to grab the box of riceballs to shove into his backpack next to the door. As he shoved his feet into his sandals, Kiba bounced next to the door.

“Thanks for the food, Naruto-nii, Kazuya-nii!”

“Have a good day!”

“Dinner’s curry tonight!”

Rio yelled a bye over his shoulder as he and Kiba left the apartment, beginning to make their way down the stairs.

“I love hanging out at yours,” Kiba grinned next to him. “Your family is great.”

“Yeah, they are,” Rio smiled.

His family was the best.


	14. Challenge Accepted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Team 7 try to open a box and give up on sleeping for the foreseeable future

Tenjirou looked up from his inventory list to see his two favourite genin enter the store, their hands moving rapidly into shapes he could vaguely recognise as sign language. They came up to the counter, each high-fiving Tenten as she sat on the counter swinging her legs.

“Hello boys,” he smiled, placing his brush down. “What’re you up to today?”

Naruto opened his mouth to say something but Kazuya elbowed him in the ribs. Tenjirou watched the pair in confusion as they moved their hands again and shared an amused glance with his daughter.

“C’mon Pinku-baka! Genma-sensei will never know we spoke out loud!”

“He’ll find out!”

“Well, too late we’re both speaking now.”

Kazuya rolled his eyes and turned to him.

“If you see Genma-sensei you can’t tell him we were talking.”

Tenjirou held up his hand as Tenten muffled her giggles.

“On my honour. Now do you want to tell us why?”

“Genma-sensei banned us from talking out loud since we’re learning the Konoha sign language. He feels that we’ll learn it better if we’re totally immersed.”

“On the bright side, Rio has now started to learn it out of necessity,” Naruto added. “On the down side, it has been impossible trying to organise things for the chunin exams next month.”

“You’re going to the chunin exams?” Tenten piped up, her brown eyes shining.

“Yup, we’re leaving for Kumo in three weeks,” Kazuya grinned. “We’ve sorted the rent and stuff for the month or so we’ll be away but we’re still stocking up on supplies.”

“Wow!” Tenten cheered.

“Wow yourself!” Naruto praised. “How’s the academy going?”

“I love it!” she beamed. “I’m the best at target practice but this other kid Neji keeps beating me on the rest.”

“It’s good to not start at the top,” Kazuya advised. “It’s better to work your way up over time because you’ll learn more that way.”

“Very true,” Tenjirou nodded. “Do you have your list of those supplies?”

“Always.” Kazuya smirked as he withdrew the crumpled paper from his pocket and handed it over.

Tenjirou glanced over the list, mentally casting his mind to the different boxes he’d find each of these in.

“Alright, we have everything. I can get it all for you now.”

“Ten-jiisan, here.” Naruto handed over a couple of storage scrolls. “You can put them in here. I labelled them weapons and supplies so it’ll save you carrying them all.”

Tenjirou nodded and took the scroll moving through to the back and starting to gather the items on the list, keeping one ear on the conversation.

“What else are you doing for the exams?”

“Well, our taijutsu and weapon handling is pretty good and we’ve got a few C-rank jutsu now too.”

“Really?” Tenten burst out and Tenjirou can imagine his daughter’s eyes sparkling the way they did when they got new weapons in the store. “Which ones?”

“I’ve got a couple katon and Aka-chan has some fūton. We also had to learn some E-rank jutsu, like making a campfire, checking for water contamination and stuff like that. You’ll learn those ones when you graduate.”

“Wow,” Tenten breathed. “Can we not learn them in the academy?”

There was a small pause before Naruto spoke up.

“You can but you need decent chakra control first and you’ll start that next year. The main thing you should be working on now is your fitness.”

“Want a tip for the academy?” Kazuya added.

Another pause reached Tenjirou which he assumed was Tenten nodding.

“Learn things that aren’t talked about in class. You will be surprised about how much about being a shinobi is only learned after you leave the academy.”

“Jiji should really do something about that.”

“Huh,” Tenten muttered. “Hey Naru-nii, can I do your hair? Kaa-san is making me practice doing it myself.”

“Sure.” There was a muffled thump.

“Where’s Rio today?”

“I think he’s at the park with some of the clan kids,” Kazuya spoke up. “Probably convincing them to either cause general chaos or working on those katas we gave him.”

“I would argue that Kiba is just as likely to cause chaos as Rio,” said Naruto. “I already feel bad for the academy chunin next year.”

“Like you were any better.”

“I was dragged into trouble by you.”

“I didn’t drag you anywhere.”

Tenjirou sealed the last of the soldier pills into the scroll and made his way back to the counter. He was greeted by the sight of Naruto sitting on the floor, his hair in the same style as Tenten’s and Kazuya leaning on the counter beside a giggling Tenten.

“Here you are, lads.” Tenjirou placed the scrolls on the counter and Naruto rose from his seat, grabbing them and stuffing them into his pockets.

Kazuya put yen in its place and Tenjirou took it, handing the boy his change.

“Also, something they don’t tell you about the chunin exams,” Naruto piped up. “They’re expensive. We have to buy supplies and make sure Rio is all set up here; plus we miss out on at least two months of missions at the minimum to even sit them.”

“Not including missions we miss doing extra training,” Kazuya added.

Naruto nodded, crossing his arms.

“We also know there are going to be three stages and one of them is about survival in the wilderness somewhere so we’ve got to bring literally everything.” Kazuya continued. “There’s no guarantee that we’re going to be able to come back between stages either.”

“How do you know that?” Tenjirou raised an eyebrow. “They’re different in every village.”

“Research,” Kazuya shrugged.

“Of course.”

“We’re the only team going from Konoha so we have to get through to the finals,” Naruto shrugged.

“I think you’re gonna win the whole thing!” Tenten piped up.

“Hell yeah we are,” Kazuya grinned, bumping his fist against hers.

“Are you really?”

The two boys snapped towards the voice and Tenjirou shared a wink with Genma. He’d noticed the jounin enter the store with Raidō but figured it would be a lesson in awareness for the genin.

“Aka-chan, why didn’t you notice him?” Kazuya hissed.

“I’m fucking tired, Pinku-baka,” Naruto snapped back. “I’ve slept like three hours in the past three days with all the border patrols to pay for this shitty exam.”

“I’m adding another ten laps to your training for the rest of the week,” Genma announced, not even trying to hide the gleeful amusement.

“Great,” Kazuya muttered.

“Another day.”

Kazuya make some hand gestures that Tenjirou didn’t need to know sign language to interpret. Naruto just sighed and waved to Tenten, dragging his friend past the jounin and throwing the sign for ‘thank you’ behind him as they left. 

“Don’t you think you’re a bit hard on them sometimes?” Tenjirou helped the waving Tenten down from the counter and ushered her through to the back.

“Go go do your homework,” he called after his daughter as he turned back to the jounin.

“I don’t give them more than they can handle,” Genma shrugged. “If I didn’t make things hard, they’d be at my door within a day complaining they were bored.”

Tenjirou considered the two boys in question and could only agree.

* * *

Naruto took in the tall spires of rock in the light of the setting sun. This must be why they called Kumo the ‘Village in the Clouds’.

The majority of the buildings were high off the ground, built into the rocks that ended in a point towards the sky. It was so different to any of the other villages they had been to for their C-ranks; the village was literally built into the mountains with wide pathways connecting the buildings far above their heads. They had a few shops on the ground level on either side of the wide yellow path that ran through the village. It was quiet as Naruto and his team were following a Kumo-nin to the hotel they’d been designated during their stay.

As the Kumo-nin stopped at the base of one of the rock spires Naruto leaned over to Hana, whispering.

“What happens if you’re afraid of heights?”

She frowned and lightly shoved his shoulder.

“Shinobi literally can’t be afraid of heights otherwise they wouldn’t be a ninja.”

“There must have been at least one.”

“Probably not from here though,” Kazuya chimed in. “Or any of the major villages, really. All the places we’ve been to have got pretty high buildings, except maybe the Land of Iron.”

“We spend a lot of time off the ground on missions,” Hana shrugged.

“Huh,” Naruto put his hand behind his head. “I never really thought about that.”

Kazuya rolled his eyes. Before he could respond, Genma turned to them and started herding them through the door and up the stairs. As they reached the second floor, their sensei opened a door with a key Naruto didn’t remember him receiving.

There was one bed in the far left corner, a window in the right wall, and that was pretty much it. A door to his left lead to what Naruto hoped was a bathroom. He crossed over and dumped his backpack against the far wall, his teammates following suit. He sat hard on the wooden floor as Genma-sensei sat on the bed opposite; there were so many new signatures in the building with them and he wasn’t sure how to start picking them apart.

“Okay team,” Genma-sensei clapped his hands as Hana and Kazuya found a seat on the floor next to him. “We’re the last here and we’re sharing this hotel with the other villages. Less time to rest but also less time for someone to sabotage us.”

“Is Kumo still pissed at us?” Kazuya groaned.

“We’re not their favourites,” their sensei admitted. “Iwa is also rooming here so we have to tread carefully. No picking fights or anything that can be taken as disrespect outside of the exams.”

“What about in the exams?”

“Everyone and anything is fair game.” Genma-sensei grinned with all his teeth at Hana. “Okay, so they start tomorrow and there’s no breaks so make sure to pack properly tonight.”

“So Kumo and Iwa are going to try to kill us specifically.”

“Pretty much,” Genma-sensei shrugged. “There are always fatalities in the chunin exams; you just need to make sure it’s not you.”

“Great,” Kazuya sighed.

“Naruto, get those security seals up. Kazuya and Hana, decide between you who’s washing up first. You need as much sleep tonight as you can for tomorrow.”

Naruto tuned out the ensuing game of _jan-ken-po_ to dig out his newest work from his backpack. He had managed to finish and test it only a week ago but they were designed for situations like this. He stuck his first one in the centre of the door and sent a pulse of chakra through his fingertips, watching the seal light briefly with blue chakra before it settled down. He repeated this at each of the possible entry points of the room.

“Done, Genma-sensei,” he called out. “If anyone that’s not one of us comes within two metres of the entry points we’ll know.”

They were basically the seal version of his sensing abilities but he couldn’t be awake all the time. This would give them peace of mind to sleep tonight. Genma-sensei wouldn’t allow him to use the exploding version, stating that they couldn’t blow up foreign shinobi in a foreign village outside of the exams.

“Good work,” Genma-sensei grinned. “Now, wash up and get some sleep. You’ve got some villages to crush tomorrow.”

* * *

Kazuya looked around at the other competitors as he stood with his team in the corner of the large hall. He was feeling the pressure of being the only Konoha team as people with various different headbands glared at them, the strongest coming from the red-clad Iwa-nins in the opposite corners.

“Is Kumo three people to the left of us?” Naruto piped up.

“Uhh...” Kazuya drawled, looking past the Kusa-nin beside them to see the engraved clouds on their heads. “Yeah, why?”

He turned to look at his friend who had his eyes closed. His eyes closed. Surrounded by foreign nin. He and Hana were there to watch his back but this was ridiculous.

“They feel different,” Naruto’s blue eyes snapped open; he looked straight through Kazuya to something he was sure only Naruto could see. “I’ve thought this before but shinobi from other villages feel different. There’s something about their chakra.”

Kazuya sweat-dropped. Was this really the time? Don’t get him wrong, this was brilliant but not much use right now when everyone was from a different village.

“Like I can feel how much chakra they have and where it is, but I didn’t know for sure about the different villages.” Naruto’s eyes came into focus abruptly. “Wait, do you think I could tell a difference by chakra natures?”

“Cool idea, but not important right now,” Hana cut in. “Test it when we’re back home, where everyone doesn’t want to kill us.”

“I mean, I’m pretty sure some of the academy teachers want us at least-”

Kazuya cut himself off at the fierce glare from his female teammate.

“Not. Right. Now.”

A Kumo-nin entered the room and stood in front of the door with his thick arms crossed, his brown eyes narrowed which were only slightly darker than his skin. Kazuya shot a brief glance over the room and watched his competitors quiet down.

“Welcome to your Chunin Exams. I am Inei and your proctor for these exams. Try not to die before showing your full strength.”

“A cheery welcome,” Kazuya muttered beneath his breath as he dodged an elbow from Hana.

“Stage one begins now.”

Behind the man, more Kumo-nin entered the room carrying medium-sized wooden boxes and placing them on the ground beside the proctor. “One person from each team come collect a box.”

The Kumo-nin who had entered with the boxes moved to stand against the walls of the room, essentially forming a border that had eyes on the participants. Kazuya nervously grinned at his team as he stepped to the front of the room to grab a box. It didn’t appear to be anything special; it wasn’t heavy but there was a number combination lock embedded in the front of it and an irregular number of rectangles on the top surface. He moved back to stand with his team.

“Once you have your box, sit in your teams at least an arm’s length from the other teams.”

Kazuya exchanged confused glances with his teammates. They had figured that there were three stages and one involved getting chucked in the wilderness but the exam changed every year. No two villages had the same exam so they had no clue what the first stage could involve.

“Inside the box is a scroll. To pass, you must open the box and hand me that scroll. You cannot damage the scroll or the box in any way. You have one hour. There will be no collaboration between teams and any caught cheating will be expelled immediately from this exam.”

Kazuya watched in horror as Naruto threw his hand up.

“Question, Konoha?”

“What counts as cheating?”

The Kumo-nin eyes his friend and Kazuya prays that they won’t be chucked out on the spot.

“If you get caught collaborating with other teams, copying another team, breaking or in any way damaging the wooden box or stealing another team’s scroll, it will be considered cheating and you will be escorted out.”

Naruto nodded his head and thankfully kept quiet. The Kumo-nin watched them for another long moment before sweeping his gaze across the room.

“You have one hour. Start.”

Murmurs began to spread throughout the room and Kazuya placed the box at the centre of their team.

“So to state the obvious we could try different number combinations?” Hana began, moving the box to look at the embedded four pin lock.

“That’ll take forever and we don’t have time to try them all,” Kazuya shook his head, pushing it towards Naruto. “Any seals or anything chakra-related we should know about?”

Naruto took the box and turned it over in his hands.

“Nope,” he said. “I can’t sense anything from it. It’s just a locked box.”

“There’s no obvious hinges either we could unscrew,” Kazuya muttered, placing a hand beneath his chin. “Do any of the shapes on the top move?”

Naruto pushed against the scattered rectangles on the top. Kazuya’s mind raced as they moved but before long it became obvious that they only moved in a certain pattern.

“Well, we can’t force it open,” Hana sighed, taking the box from Naruto. “The most obvious thing is the numbers.”

“But we have literally nothing to give us a clue where to start with those,” Kazuya pointed out. “Do we have anything on us that could open it?”

Naruto shook his head.

“All my jutsu would damage it and I don’t have a seal for that either.”

Kazuya was about to add something when Hana chimed in.

“Don’t the rules seem a bit off though? There’s no way our whole first test is opening a box, there has to be some else. There’s always something else.”

“Plus,” Naruto added. “He was very specific about his wording when he explained the cheating.”

Kazuya briefly scanned the rest of the room. The other teams were in tight huddles, heads down and although there was a low murmur he couldn’t pick any individual words out. He then switched to looking at the proctors scattered throughout the room; there was one for each team. Why would they need that many? Surely they didn’t need this many people to watch genins?

“Something about this whole thing feels off.”

Both his teammates turned to look at him.

“Naruto, are you sure you can’t sense anything strange?”

His friend closed his eyes and frowned, tilting his head slightly to the side. Opening his eyes, he turned to look around at the other participants.

“Everyone is where they should be. There’s so much chakra in this room it’s hard to tell them all apart unless I really focus, like I could before we had guards and a time limit.”

Kazuya looked away from his friend to look at the clock, only to swear at the sight.

“How has it already been twenty minutes?”

“What?” Hana demanded, joining him in staring the clock.

Kazuya picked up the box once again and examined it again. There really was no way to open this thing without the number code, not without damaging it. There was a small gap between the lid and the bottom of the box, maybe small enough to...

“Can either of you make chakra threads?”

“Nope, my control is nowhere near good enough for that,” Naruto shrugged.

“But your control is best of all of us!”

“Chakra threads are different,” Naruto explained to Hana. “They’re only really used by some Suna-nin because they’re more hassle than the result is worth. They’re solid chakra constructs and I have no idea how to do those outside a jutsu.”

“Can you try?” Kazuya handed the box to the redhead. “It’s the only thing that might fit through that gap.”

Naruto signed and held up his right hand, the box in his left. As his friend’s fingertips began to glow, Kazuya looked back to the clock to see another ten minutes had passed. They had been in this exam for thirty minutes. He looked around and none of the other teams had succeeded either. In fact, they were all exactly the same as he last time he had looked. Surely one team must have passed or kicked out by now. As he looked back at his team, he examined the test so far. No way had it been thirty minutes, there was just no way.

Naruto’s head snapped up and he froze for a moment before dropping the box heavily.

“I can feel some people leaving the room.”

Kazuya glanced over to the door but there was nothing there. That confirmed it.

“I think we’re in a genjutsu.”

Naruto swore and turned to glare at the nearest proctor.

“Naruto, what?” Kazuya demanded. “What did you sense?”

“Her chakra is in our system,” the redhead frowned. “It’s such a small amount I couldn’t feel it with everything else clogging up my senses. I _hate_ genjutsu.”

“Okay... so we just need to break out of it,” Hana said slowly.

Kazuya brought his hands into a seal and flooded his system with chakra.

“ _Kai!_ ”

As he opened his eyes and looked around, another team stood and handed their scroll to the proctor. The clock indicated that it had only been seven minutes since the test had started and the tense knot in his gut loosened at the sight. He could hear the teams still around them much clearer now but some were obviously still stuck in the genjutsu.

“Now what?”

Kazuya shrugged as Hana stared back at him.

“We still have nothing on the numbers,” she pointed out.

“I’m not going to get useable chakra threads in time,” Naruto added.

Kazuya brought his hand back up to his chin in thought. So they got through the first obstacle but there must be a second one. As he stared at the moveable rectangles on top of the box, something clicked.

“ _Kai!_ ”

Numbers appeared on the top of the box as his teammates looked on in confusion.

“It’s a double-layered genjutsu,” he explained. “There’s one on the top of the box too.”

He picked up the box to the chorus of his team breaking out of the illusion. He moved the pieces in the same pattern they had discovered at the beginning of the test and a clear number stood out. He dialled it into the number combination and the lid popped open. He grabbed the scroll and stood with his team, walking over to the proctor and handing him the scroll.

The Kumo-nin levelled them with a glare before motioning to the door behind him. Kazuya grinned as he left the room, holding in his joy until they were led to a room down the corridor from the exam hall. Ignoring the glowering enemy teams, Kazuya threw his hands up as he yelled in victory.

“I knew genjutsu would come back to bite me in the ass,” muttered Hana, crouching to pet her dogs.

“I’m just happy we have Kazuya on the team,” Naruto grinned. “No way would we have figured out the second one.”

“What’s weird is how many shinobi Kumo has that are able to perform a double-layer genjutsu. They’re all about brute strength usually.”

Hana nodded her head in agreement.

“Genjutsu messes with the five senses. Too bad they didn’t count on Naruto using his sixth one.”

Naruto rolled his eyes but failed to push down his smile.

“We lucked out that I sensed those teams leaving but I have really got to work on sensing foreign chakra entering our systems.”

Kazuya messed up his friend’s ponytail. Either way they were through to the second stage and Kazuya had his full faith in his team. They were going to make it all the way.

* * *

Naruto sat with his team in a corner of the waiting room, waiting for the first exam to end. There was just over half of the original teams present allowing him to pick apart their chakra in more detail now.

There was definitely a difference between the villages. The Kumo teams had the same metallic feeling as the Kumo-nin from the Hyūga Affair but there was Kumo-nin in particular that he had his eye on. She looked only a year or two older than Hana, with blonde hair in a long, low ponytail and a baggy, olive-coloured jumpsuit with short-sleeves.

“We need to stay away from her as much as possible.”

“What?”

Naruto turned back to his teammates and realised he hadn’t shared what he’d found. It was easy sometimes to forget that others didn’t have an extra sense permanently sending them information about people around him. It was just so obvious to him that he logged the information automatically, sometimes failing to realise he needed to state it out loud.

“The Kumo girl in the green,” he explained. “The blonde over there.”

His teammates looked over and frowned.

“Why?”

“She has more chakra than the three of us combined,” Naruto answered Hana, as a thoughtful look dawned over Kazuya. “Willing to bet she knows how to use it too.”

He discreetly signed Rio’s name out of sight of Hana and Naruto nodded, signing ‘same’ back to the brunet. That girl had a Bijuu; Naruto knew better than most about the potential danger of a tailed beast. His attention was drawn to the front of the room as the same proctor from before entered the room.

“You have all passed the first stage. Follow me to the location of the second stage.”

Naruto exchanged a look with his team before following Inei out of the room. He double-checked the seals that had been painted into his pockets as he walked. They weren’t allowed to take a bag into the exam but there was nothing in the rules that said they couldn’t take _anything_ in. So in the early hours of the morning he had painted the pockets of each of his team’s clothes with storage seals so all the equipment they had brought could be on them without breaking any rules.

Before long, they came to the border of the village and a wooden table piled with papers. The proctor turned to them; an equally sour looking Kumo-nin sat behind the table.

“This is the beginning of the second stage. Located in various sites outside the village are sixteen flags. They are located in a fifty mile radius from the village in any direction. To pass this stage, you must return to the village gates with a flag. You have a time limit of three days. It must be one flag per person; if a team returns with one flag only one person may pass.”

“Only sixteen?” Kazuya whispered to him. “There’s gotta be at least fifty of us!”

“Fifty-four,” Naruto whispered back.

“Fuck.”

Naruto couldn’t help but agree.

“Three days!” Hana hissed. “That’s nothing! We’re not going to have time to sleep or anything!”

“This exam is weird as fuck,” Kazuya narrowed his eyes. “First exam is to open a box; second exam is to find a flag in the middle of a massive area in less than three days. It’s like two extremes; simple then impossible.”

“It’s not like we have a choice,” Naruto muttered back. “We just have to do it.”

Inei waved a hand towards the papers.

“Before this stage begins, you must sign a waiver which exempts Kumo from any and all responsibility in regards to your welfare in this exam. Once signed, hand them to Maeko at the desk.”

Silence followed his words before an Iwa-nin hesitantly raised a hand. His teammate quickly grabbed it and slammed it back down. Kazuya immediately snatched Naruto’s hands before he could do the same. He shot his friend a dirty look; what was wrong with asking questions? The proctor let out a heavy sigh.

“It’s not our problem if you get maimed or killed. Now sign them or leave.”

“Why didn’t he just say that?” Naruto mumbled under his breath as he yanked his hands back from Kazuya.

Hana rolled her eyes and stepped forward to grab their papers, dogs following at her heels.


	15. Capture the Flag

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Team 7 go extreme camping and Naruto gets the sniffles

The late afternoon sun shone over them as Naruto and his team ran north-west of Kumo. They’d been running since the second stage began that morning and Naruto still had no idea how they were supposed to find sixteen measly flags in the middle of the Land of Lightning. He had sensed at least three Kumo teams running in the same direction at the start but they were too far away to feel for the moment.

Probably waiting to jump them at the worst time. Couldn’t make this hellish exam any easier for them, after all.

“Aka-chan, anyone around?”

“Nah, we’re good,” he replied, stopping beside Hana.

Kazuya turned to them.

“Okay, so although we pass as individuals we’re gonna pass as a team too, right?”

Naruto rolled his eyes and lightly punched him in the arm.

“Duh, Pinku-baka. We pass as a team or not at all.”

“So this means we need to find three flags,” Hana chimed in, frowning. “What are the chances of finding three in one direction?”

“Pretty much zero,” Kazuya shrugged. “We might get one but the others could all be south or east or something.”

“Okay, so we find one,” Naruto nodded. “How do we get the other two?”

“They said that we have to hand in a flag to pass, right? Not that it had to be a flag we found. Just that we had to physically hand in a flag.”

Naruto considered Kazuya’s words.

“We could have had a better chance of finding flags if we split up,” Hana pointed out.

“Yeah, but also greater chance of being ambushed,” Kazuya frowned. “Everyone is gunning for us. We’re the only Konoha team and the youngest; we’ve pretty much got a bounty on our heads.”

“We’re gonna get ambushed anyway,” Naruto spoke up. “We might as well use it against them.”

“I’m with Aka-chan. We find a flag in the first day and then go back to Kumo. We ambush anyone who approaches the village outskirts for their flags, then we hand them in together.”

Naruto nodded along to Kazuya’s plan, pulling a scroll from his pocket and checking the label before summoning three water bottles and handing them to his teammates, keeping one for himself.

“So we still need to find a flag.”

Naruto swallowed the cool liquid and store the bottle away, retying his hair back. The search continued.

* * *

Naruto groaned as he hit a branch out of his way. The light was dying and there was still no sign of a flag anywhere. He could feel Hana and her dogs scouting just in front and Kazuya not far behind him. He coughed harshly to clear his throat. The air was definitely thinner here than it was back home.

“Fucking finally!”

He broke through the foliage and spotted Hana in the middle of a clearing, grinning as she stared up the face of a cliff. He followed her gaze until he saw the flash of red against the expanse of grey.

“We got one?”

Kazuya came up behind them and covered his eyes to look up.

“Looks like it,” Hana nodded.

“Thank fuck,” Kazuya slumped his shoulder, dropping his hand. “I know we said we would spend the first day finding a flag but I didn’t mean the whole first day. This is literally the edge of the fifty mile perimeter they set us.”

“It’s going to take us all night to get back to Kumo to set up an ambush for tomorrow,” Hana groaned, her grin falling at the thought.

“Yup,” sighed Kazuya. “Seriously, who planned this exam? They did not think it through.”

“We found one.” Naruto patted his teammates’ shoulders. “Let’s take a moment to be happy about that before we get grumpy again.”

He paused.

“I will say that we are not wasting tomorrow looking around like today.”

“Oh yeah,” Kazuya laughed. “No way are we spending two more days hiking around pointlessly like this. Camp out outside Kumo, target whoever comes near us, get their flags and get back to the village.”

“I second that,” Hana chimed in.

Naruto tore his gaze away and turned as chakra signatures came bursting into range.

“We got incoming!”

“Shit! Okay, Naruto, go up and get that flag. Hana and I will hold them off. There is no way we are giving up that flag.”

Naruto took off running.

He applied chakra to his feet and darted up the cliff face, the signatures reaching the edge of the bushes. He didn’t dare look back as the ring of kunai reached him; one enemy broke off and began to follow him up the cliff.

Out of the corner of his eye, a Kumo-nin appeared with a sharp smirk. Naruto rolled to the side as shuriken clanged off of where he had just been. The Kumo-nin appeared beside him and Naruto ducked under his fist, jabbing his own into the man’s gut. A fist came down on his back and a cough escaped his lungs; he allowed the punch to drive him to the rock face and he rolled backwards, kicking his feet up into the Kumo-nin’s face as he rolled.

He felt his foot connect and as he hauled himself upright, he watched the Kumo-nin bear his bloody teeth at him. The man growled and a kunai popped into his hand.

“You are not making it out of this exam alive, _child_.”

“You’re pretty old to be taking this exam,” Naruto sneered back. “You must suck if you’re taking it at the same time as me.”

The man launched a barrage of kunai and Naruto ducked and weaved, throwing a mental thanks to Genma-sensei for those many paint-covered mornings spent dodging. The man appeared in front of him and Naruto jumped back as pain lanced up his right arm, a slash through the sleeve.

He formed a one-handed bird seal as blood ran down between his fingers.

“ _Fūton: Daitoppa_!”

He blew the chakra-infused air at the other shinobi; the man sunk his feet into the cliff’s surface to stop himself from being blown off but this opened up an opportunity for Naruto. He closed his mouth and darted forward, throwing a kunai up the cliff before slamming a kick into the side of the man’s head. As the man pulled out another kunai to stab him in the gut, slower than earlier through his daze, Naruto had already finished his hand seals.

“ _Kawarimi no Jutsu!_ ”

He appeared directly above the other shinobi as the kunai he threw earlier clanged against the man’s own. Naruto let gravity take him and he landed with two feet in the middle of the man’s chest.

The Kumo-nin’s feet cracked out of the cliff face and Naruto slapped his right hand against the cliff to catch himself. He watched the man fall; it wasn’t that far since they had only made it about a quarter of the way up the cliff. He shook it off as he felt the man’s chakra flicker when he hit the ground and continued climbing. He finally reached the red flag halfway up the cliff and stored it in one of his pocket seals. He paused, taking a moment to breathe. Maybe he shouldn’t have used a _fūton_ jutsu considering.

He shook the thought from his head and rushed back down to find his teammates brushing themselves off in the middle of the decimated clearing. Naruto recognised the cause of the massive holes in both the ground and the cliff face as Hana’s clan techniques and the bushes were still burning from whatever _katon_ jutsu Kazuya had thrown around.

A groan reached him and Naruto went to drag the unconscious Kumo-nin he had kicked off the cliff to be tied up with the others. Kazuya came over and whistled as he took in the damage.

“What’d he ever do to you, Aka-chan?”

Naruto rolled his eyes and dropped the man next to his teammates. Comparing the three, his did look the most injured. He could probably convince Kazuya to patch up that gash on his head and push the bone back in his leg before he tied him up. Whatever was under the blood covering his feet would most likely be fine.

“He started it.”

“Yeah, okay.” Kazuya threw him a dubious look before kneeling to apply first aid. “I can do enough that he won’t die. No point in killing our competitors if we don’t have to.”

Hana jogged over.

“Did you get it?”

Naruto unsealed the flag and waved it around with a grin before sealing it back into his pocket.

“Okay, I declare that they won’t die,” Kazuya rose to his feet. “I’ve also searched them and tied them up so they won’t be hunting us down for revenge anytime soon. They don’t have a flag. Now let’s see that arm.”

Naruto looked down at the slumped older team as Kazuya passed his glowing green hand over the cut. The man he had fought probably had about on a decade on him; what would it feel like to lose to someone half his age?

In Konoha, he found it hard to connect to other genin teams; he barely knew anyone from the academy and that didn’t change after graduation. He was so busy with training and raising Rio; he just couldn’t connect to kids considering he didn’t feel like one himself. It was like his body didn’t match his mental age. He felt this rift now; he probably would never be able to understand this Kumo-nin. He and his team were different and would always be from the general shinobi populace.

“Hey.”

Naruto looked up.

“They’ll be fine,” Kazuya smiled. “We, however, have got to go all the way back to Kumo tonight. We also need to plan out our first ambush while avoiding all the teams that are potentially hiding in wait to do the exact same thing to us.”

“We barely slept getting here.” Hana sat and put her head on her knees. “We hardly slept last night and now we’re not going to sleep for at least the next two days.”

“We have plenty soldier pills,” Naruto offered weakly.

Hana answered him with a dead-eyed stare.

“We knew it would be tough,” Kazuya sighed, rubbing his eyes.

“Yeah, I know.” Hana shook her head and stood. “Sorry, I’m just tired.”

“We’re right there with you,” Kazuya offered a fist bump which Hana gently bumped back.

“We’ve been on worse missions,” Naruto grinned, shoving his fist to join the others. “Remember the Land of Rivers?”

A collective shudder ran through the genin at his words.

“This has nothing on the Land of Rivers,” Kazuya shivered.

A groan reached them from the tied up Kumo-nins and Hana reached over to punch the stirring shinobi back out.

“We should head out,” she smiled at her team. “We need put out those fires first, though.”

Naruto sighed and nodded at Hana’s words, heading over to deal with them.

* * *

“This exam is rigged.”

“Of course it’s rigged. Sixteen flags in such a huge area, the Kumo-nin probably got maps or were told before the exams where they would be or something. We’ll need to set up our traps pretty soon; the exam ends tomorrow.”

“We got to find the little Konoha team too. Easy pickings; did you see them in the first stage? The redhead doesn’t even come up to my elbow.”

“They’re not going to have a flag though.”

“Yeah, but whoever takes them out is going to have bragging rights going into the third stage. Iwa alone is foaming at the mouth to kill them off.”

“Huh, good point.”

“Are you sure you heard something?”

“Yeah, it was an animal or something but it will still make a good dinner tonight.”

The Kusa team entered a clearing only ten miles outside of Kumo, the second day’s afternoon sun reflecting off their coned straw hats. Black turtlenecks under beige coats, tied together with thick purple rope around their waists; the trio laughed over the last comment. They failed to notice the ring of seals that surrounded them.

There was a moment of silence before a torrent of water hit the Kusa team straight on. They barely had a moment to cough and splutter the water back up before one overheard a voice from their left.

“Kazuya, now!”

She squinted through the water to see several points around them light up. As the seals sparked, she didn’t even have time to curse as lightning hit her. A thousand hot needles burst across her skin and her legs gave out. She was almost grateful she lost consciousness.

* * *

Naruto took a final bite of his ration bar, throwing the packaging into the open fire in front of him. No matter how many of these he ate they never tasted any better. Wiping his hands on his trousers, he took out his hair tie and ran a hand through the red locks. It was getting pretty long now; it reached the middle of his back but he should probably get a trim after the exams.

They had settled in a rocky nook surrounded by bushes. It was safe enough for a small fire and although they lost the advantage of higher ground, Naruto would detect anyone coming early enough that it wouldn’t matter.

The ambush had worked perfectly. His lightning seals had zapped everything in the zone and Kazuya had even managed to trigger the seals himself. His homemade custom seals normally only worked for him. His one and only _suiton_ jutsu had made it extra effective and he was now glad that Genma-sensei had spent that week drilling it into his brain. It may have originally been so he could put out the fires from Kazuya and Hana’s _katon_ training but it definitely came in handy. It had even been worth losing three bottles worth of water.

It hadn’t even been the intended use for those seals. Really, they were supposed to be used individually; slap them on an opponent, channel some chakra and they got a nasty electric shock. It had taken a while to figure out how to stop the seal from zapping him too on activation. They had been trying to think up ambush ideas that had the least amount of enemy contact and fūinjutsu had been the obvious choice. He hadn’t even considered using them to make essentially an electrified cage until Kazuya had suggested it.

Leading the Kusa team into their trap had been even easier with him keeping track of them with his sensing abilities and the Haimaru brothers leading them in.

Kazuya clapped his hands.

“Okay,” he grinned. “So we have two flags now so we’re right on track.”

“To point out the obvious, tomorrow is going to be a bloodbath.” Hana fed bits of jerky to the Haimaru brothers, their canine faces looking very pleased with themselves. “That Kusa team had the same idea we did; every other team is going to be back here tomorrow.”

“We can probably count on inter-team fighting by tomorrow though,” Kazuya nodded. “Since we pass by individual, not by team, there’s sure to be some that break down.”

“So we get a flag as quickly as possible then high-tail it for the gate.”

“Pretty much,” Kazuya shrugged. “We might not have the same chance as we did today for set-up; we have no idea how many teams are left.”

“So fast ambush, minimal preparation,” Naruto stretched his arms out. “Means we can keep moving quickly.”

“If possible, we can try and prioritise either single competitors or those running for the gate. With the first, we outnumber them so minimal risk and we can cut down some competition. With the second, they are the most like to have a flag so we can get this over with.”

Naruto shared a looked with Hana before they both turned to stare at Kazuya. Their teammate proceeded to frown intently into the fire until he noticed the silence.

“What?”

“Are you sure you aren’t related the Nara?” asked Hana, amused.

“It would fit,” Naruto shrugged, suppressing his own smile.

Kazuya rolled his eyes.

“Like I keep telling you, not everyone who has half a brain in Konoha is related to the Nara clan.”

“Don’t put yourself down like that,” Naruto smirked. “You have at least three quarters of a brain in there.”

Hana’s laughter joined his as Kazuya pelted them both with twigs from their wood pile. Naruto stood and shooed the pair of them, scraping some dirt over the small fire to put it out.

“I’m on watch so get some sleep,” he grinned. “You both need it.”

He loved his team. He didn’t know who else could make him laugh in the middle of such a shit situation. His teammates’ smiles immediately dropped.

“Wait Aka-chan, you can’t stay up. You need sleep too.”

“More than us even,” Hana added. “We know you woke up early before the exam to write those seals into our pockets. That’s if you even went to sleep.”

“So you guys are able to sense enemies incoming from over three hundred metres away now?”

“We can use other skills,” Hana scowled. “I’ll smell or hear them coming.”

“Let’s face it,” Naruto sighed. “I’m the most reliable warning system we have and we’d be idiots if we didn’t use me. You guys can handle the bulk of the attacks tomorrow while I hang back, but for tonight this makes the most sense.”

He unsealed a bag of soldier pills from his pocket and shook them.

“Have some faith. One of these will keep me going until this part of the exam ends tomorrow.”

His teammates were obviously unhappy but as Naruto settled himself against a rock, he knew they would have to agree with him. Kazuya may be their brains and Hana their brawn but Naruto knew what he contributed to this team. He had learned over his genin career that his sensing and fūinjutsu were more unique than he had ever thought; never mind in combination. There was no one like him not only in Konoha but in any of the villages they had visited on missions.

It didn’t change much. He was still Rio’s big brother, still Team 7’s weakest member, still the youngest genin. It did help him in times like this; there were things only he could do. He could help his team and he would.

Soon enough, he could hear the soft breathing of his teammates and Naruto smiled softly. They were exhausted. They needed this. His eyes throbbed in time with his head and he rested his head back against the cool stone.

Just one night. One more night. Then he could sleep.

Raising the bag, he stared at the soldier pills and took one out. He sealed the others back up. What he hadn’t told his teammates was he had already taken one two days ago. He had been getting even less sleep than they thought but he had managed to hide it well. These exams were so important; he couldn’t be the one to let the team down.

Yakushi-sensei had agreed not to tell Genma-sensei purely on the basis that it looked like it was just a cold. It had started up last week; just a cough, a few sneezes, a headache or two. Nothing major; definitely not worth cancelling these exams over. Everyone got colds and while yes, he was very tired and his breathing was not where it should be he was keeping up. They were so close to the end of the second stage.

He popped the bitter pill into his mouth and brought out a water bottle to wash it down. He knew that you were not really supposed to take two within a three day period, but at the end of three days he would crash. That was tomorrow. He couldn’t afford to crash in the middle of tomorrow. This one would keep him going just a bit longer.

The quiet night wore on as Naruto stared up at the stars, wide awake as the pill kicked in. It couldn’t have been far from daybreak when he felt them.

“Kazuya, Hana, wake up,” he shook their shoulders gently.

The older genin groaned and stirred. Naruto shook them harder.

“We have two incoming from the south, two hundred metres.”

Hana’s eyes snapped open and she sprang up. Kazuya was slower to rise but Naruto could see a plan forming in his tired pink eyes.

“Two?”

“Two.”

“Okay, Hana hide. Naruto and I will go back to looking like we’re asleep. They’re moving slowly?”

“Yeah.” Naruto cocked his head to the side. “I think they’re going for stealth; probably would work with any other team.”

“Hana, your clan techniques. The moment they come into view, can you unleash your _Gatsūga_?”

“Bit of an overkill, Kazuya,” Naruto raised an eyebrow at his friend.

“No, he’s right,” said Hana thoughtfully. “Hit them both at the same time, it’s over before it’s even started. You don’t have to do a thing which at this stage is a bonus.”

Naruto joined Kazuya on the ground and took up a sleeping position. It was at the opposite point of where the enemy would emerge from so they should avoid being hit by Hana. Naruto closed his eyes and tried to feel out the chakra. It wasn’t Kumo or Kusa, it was more... earthy? Soil? It was the same taste in his mouth as when he did all those gardening D-ranks.

“So Konoha was around here?”

“Apparently. It’s worth checking out on our way back to the gate.”

Whispers reached him and his rolled his eyes behind his closed lids. How bad did the genin in this exam think they were? They were the youngest but _still_. Bushes rustled gently.

“ _Gatsūga!_ ”

Two short screams were cut out abruptly with wet crunches and dull thuds. Naruto opened his eyes and sat up. Hana and her dogs were stood over the mangled bodies of the genin and her blood-covered face was in a deep scowl. She tossed over a headband.

Naruto looked down and the pieces clicked. Kazuya peered over his shoulder.

“Iwa.”

“Well, we knew they were after us.”

“Hey, guys.”

The boy looked up to see the scowl gone and a bright grin in its place. Hana twirled the pair of flags between her fingers.

“Looks like we don’t have to ambush anyone tomorrow after all.”

Naruto’s own face broke out into a grin as he leapt up and glomped Hana into a hug, ignoring the blood and flesh stuck to her clothing. Kazuya soon joined them.

“How idiotic do you have to be to have the flag and then seek for revenge for a war we didn’t even fight in instead of just passing the exam?” Kazuya huffed into the hug quietly.

“Who the fuck cares,” Naruto shrugged. “Let’s go pass this exam.”

“What should we do with the extra?” Hana held it up.

Kazuya took it from her and dumped it on the ground, letting off a small _katon_ jutsu. They watched the flag burn before Naruto looked at his friend.

“They never said we couldn’t destroy them,” he simply said. “Plus this is one less competitor to fight in the next round.”

“Let’s go!” Naruto punched his fist into the air.

* * *

They made it to Kumo’s village gate just as the light from the rising sun of third day reached them. Inei stared down at them grimly as they each handed in their flag. Kazuya’s was still a little wet and both Hana and her flag were covered in blood but there was nothing in the rules about the condition of the flag either. Kumo really wasn’t big on rules, it was turning out.

They were escorted to the competitors’ waiting room where they could see that three Kumo-nin had already beaten them there. The girl with a Bijū was there; she looked pristine, like she hadn’t even left the village.

It was long day of waiting for the other competitors to arrive.

* * *

The rain thundered against the large window as Rio stared at the grey clouds overhead. There was probably no chance of them getting back out to the park with it like this.

He slumped back against his chair as Kiba complained beside him.

“Man, this sucks! It wasn’t supposed to last this long.”

“Such a drag.”

Rio looked across the kitchen table to Shikamaru who was lazily staring out the window. Chouji was munching on his snacks in the chair next to him contently, eyes roaming the apartment casually.

“Here was closest and I don’t have any umbrellas,” Rio shrugged hopelessly.

“It’s cool, Rio,” Chouji smiled. “Thanks for letting us stay here until the rain stops.”

Kiba’s head snapped to the door and Rio could soon hear footsteps. Keys were inserted into the door and it flew open with a loud bang and a violent swear.

“Of course it had to be raining the day we came back.”

“Calm down, Kazuya. We’re home. We can have real food, a real bath, a bed...”

“We are passing these chunin exams because I swear we are not doing this again.”

“How many times have I said this? We have had worse missions.”

“And yet, those missions have been much less stressful.”

Rio’s brothers stomped their way into the flat, dripping with mud and misery. They dumped their sandals, bags and jackets at the door but they still looked like they had been dragged through every wet bush in the Land of Fire.

They were dressed in mission gear; all black with body armour and bracers. Kazu-nee had had a haircut before the exams so his brown hair hung just above his eyebrows while Nii-san had his in a low bun today. They didn’t look injured, just tired.

“Welcome home!”

Nii-san looked over at him and a warm smile immediately took over his features.

“Hi, Sunshine,” he greeted. “I’d hug you but you look clean and I don’t want to change that.”

“Hey, Rio,” Kazu-nee cheerfully waved from behind Nii-san.

“Hey, Kiba, go get some towels,” Rio shoved his best friend out of his chair and went to boil the kettle.

His friend quickly returned grumbling with two large towels and handed them to the two older boys. Nii-san thanked the Inuzuka and plonked himself on top of the towel in the middle of the floor, Kazuya following suit. Rio dumped tea leaves into two cups and poured the water, handing the hot cups to his brothers. Nii-san and Kazu-nee thanked him warmly and Rio bounced back to his seat. He finally noticed Shikamaru and Chouji eying his family awkwardly.

“Oh, Shikamaru, Chouji, this is Nii-san and Kazu-nee. Nii-san, Kazu-nee, this is Shikamaru and Chouji.”

He heard Kiba snickering beside him and frowned as Kazu-nee sighed softly.

“I’m Kazuya and this is Naruto,” he said, looking pointedly over at Rio.

Previous talks about introducing people ran through his head and his mistake became apparent.

“The Nara and Akimichi we’ve heard about?” Nii-san spoke up, sipping his tea.

Rio nodded.

“We were at the park and the rain started. Here was closest.”

Nii-san nodded and took another sip.

“It’s nice to finally meet both of you. I’m glad that Rio’s making more friends,” he smiled, and Rio felt his cheeks grow warm in a mix of affection and embarrassment.

“You’re taking the chunin exams?” Chouji piped up curiously.

“Just back from Kumo,” Kazu-nee grinned widely.

“Wait, does that mean you passed?” Kiba prompted before Rio could ask.

“Not yet,” Kazu-nee shrugged. “There are three stages to the exams and we passed two. We got told that the third stage is going to be in a month. We came back to train here though with all the travelling we’re only going to be training for about three weeks.”

“Why a month?”

Kazu-nee turned to look at Chouji.

“It’s going to be a big tournament so they want to give people time to arrange travel to go. Like Kage and Daimyo and other important people. We were also meant to have sixteen people in the tournament but ended up with twelve.”

“Why?” Kiba asked eagerly.

“The second stage involved getting a flag to pass. Three flags were destroyed and one genin pulled out due to injuries.”

“How old are you?” Shikamaru finally spoke up.

The Nara had been quietly watching the exchange. That in itself wasn’t unusual for the lazy boy but that keen glint in his eye as he watched was. Speaking of quiet, Nii-san was being strangely silent too; especially for meeting his new friends. His brother slowly sipped at his tea. Rio narrowed his eyes; was he swaying?

“I’m twelve and Aka-chan here is ten,” Kazu-nee answered with a raised eyebrow.

“The way Rio spoke about you,” said Shikamaru. “I thought you were way older.”

“Me too,” Chouji timidly added.

As all eyes moved to him, Rio looked away from Nii-san.

“I didn’t say anything to make them think that. I just talked about you like normal.”

“I didn’t hear anything weird,” Kiba nodded beside him.

“It’s just that he said that you were raising him,” Shikamaru looked between him and his brother in confusion. “That you always had and that you’d been genin a while. I just pictured someone older.”

Kazu-nee laughed and nudged Nii-san. Nii-san didn’t even look at him and alarm bells started to ring in Rio’s head. Something was wrong. Nii-san’s cup clattered to the ground and the barely drunk tea splashed across the wooden floor.

“NII-SAN!”

Kazu-nee was immediately hunched over him, hands glowing green. Rio hovered over his shoulder, tears blurring his vision before he roughly wiped them away. Kazu-nee leaned back after a moment.

“He’s okay,” he smiled gently at Rio and his friends. “It’s just exhaustion. We’ve been travelling and fighting almost constantly since we left two weeks ago. He feels safe here so his body just decided that he needs to sleep.”

Rio’s heartbeat began to slow as the adrenaline left his system. Kazu-nee knew what he was talking about; if he said it was fine then it was fine. His oldest brother gathered up Nii-san in his arms.

“I’m going to take him for a check-up just in case. You stay and hang out with your friends. I promise he’ll be back to embarrass you in front of your new friends by tomorrow.”

Kazu-nee grinned and Rio offered a weak one in return at his attempt at humour. He headed to the door and Rio watched him go. He turned back to the kitchen table and shrugged hopelessly at his friends.

“He’ll be fine, Rio,” said Kiba. “I’ve heard the chunin exams are really hard. Naruto-nii is a badass but even he might have found them hard.”

“Plus he’s just super tired,” Chouji pointed out. “My clan get it a lot. Some sleep and he’ll be fine. He’s got the final chunin exams to sit in a month; no way he’d miss that.”

His friends’ words helped a little. As Rio went to grab the mop from the cleaning cupboard, he missed Shikamaru’s sharp gaze still fixed on the door.

* * *

Kazuya burned a hole in the waiting room of the hospital; Genma-sensei was slumped in the chair next to him. He hadn’t lied to Rio when he said it was exhaustion. It also hadn’t been the full story. How didn’t he notice? Sure he was tired, but he still should have been able to tell.

He looked up from the floor as a grim Yakushi-sensei came out.

“Follow me.”

Kazuya exchanged a distressed look with his sensei before they scrambled to follow the doctor. They came to Naruto’s hospital room and he looked as small and swallowed up by the harsh white sheets as he had four years ago.

“Naruto came to me a week before you left for the chunin exams with a cold,” Yakushi-sensei turned to them. “It seemed like any other cold; a mild cough, headaches, fatigue.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Genma-sensei demanded.

“It was a cold. Everyone gets colds and usually they pass quickly with no issues.”

“What happened?” Kazuya asked with dread pooling in his gut.

“He’ll be fine. It’s mainly exhaustion and the fact he took too many soldier pills. It caused him to crash harder than usual, but he can sleep it off.”

“He took too many soldier pills?” Kazuya’s mind flashed back to the night Naruto insisted he stay up to keep watch.

“It happens, especially among genin,” Yakushi-sensei shrugged. “He overworked himself.”

“So why are we having this conversation? Why tell us about the cold?”

The doctor sighed heavily.

“Due to Naruto’s condition, we knew that there would be deterioration-”

“But that’s not supposed to happen for years!” Kazuya jumped in.

“Yes, for his organs but we did not take into consideration his immune system.”

Kazuya’s mind flashed back through the medical textbooks he’d read and it clicked into placed. As he let out a quiet ‘oh’ Genma-sensei spoke up.

“For those which no medical knowledge, what does that mean?”

“A simple cold for you might not be a simple cold for Naruto,” Yakushi-sensei explained. “The symptoms will be exaggerated and his recovery time extended. Same with the flu or any stomach bugs.”

Kazuya followed his gaze to his best friend.

“Really, I’m amazed he made it through the exams with this level of exhaustion combined with the fatigue from the cold.”

“He’s a stubborn bastard,” Kazuya said quietly.

“That he is,” smiled Yakushi-sensei. “This cold was hard on him for both his energy and breathing. He had some time to recover before leaving for Kumo but it’s apparent that it was not long enough.”

“This is more than manageable,” the doctor continued. “It’s actually a very common side effect from most chronic conditions. I just wanted to let you know for the future since I know he won’t tell you himself.”

“Is there a way to make it easier on him?”

The doctor considered Kazuya’s words.

“As long as he has a good diet and doesn’t overwork himself like this again, he should be okay. There’s no way to stop him catching these things entirely but it’ll make it easier for his body to fight it off. I’d maybe add more oranges or grapefruit to his diet to increase his vitamin C intake.”

Kazuya made a mental note to shove an orange down his friend’s throat each morning.

“Should I pull him from the exams?” Genma-sensei asked grimly.

“That won’t be necessary,” Yakushi-sensei shook his head. “He can even go home tomorrow. I can give you a list of stuff of that can help him recover but he’s banned from training for a week.”

Kazuya could already hear Naruto’s protests over that order.

“Thanks, Yakushi-sensei,” he smiled tiredly. “I’ll make sure he keeps to it.”

Yakushi-sensei patted Kazuya’s shoulder.

“He’s lucky to have you.”

He left the room and Kazuya was left to listen to the steady beeping of his teammate’s heart with his sensei.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fūton: Daitoppa = Wind Release: Great Breakthrough  
> Kawarimi no Jutsu = Body Replacement Technique  
> Gatsūga = Fang Passing Fang


	16. There Can Only Be One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Team 7 fight with varying degrees of success

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All translations of techniques used in this chapter are in the end notes
> 
> Hope you enjoy as I have never written this many fight scenes in my life!

Naruto stood from his crouch and swung an arm across his chest, pulling it into his chest to feel the stretch in his shoulder. Letting go, he repeated the action with his other arm, rotating the limbs to loosen them up.

They’d arrived in Kumo yesterday with the Hokage and his guards and he’d actually managed to get a semi-decent night’s sleep. He hadn’t been able to train for this as much as he had wanted to but Kazuya had been so mad at him that, for once, he hadn’t been willing to risk it.

How was he supposed to know that his cold was so bad? And yes, maybe he shouldn’t have taken those extra soldier pills but it had all worked out in the end.

Kazuya had now picked up the morning habit of shoving a couple of oranges at him and glaring down at him until he ate them. He liked oranges but not with a side of threats of bodily harm. Rio hadn’t suspected anything other than exhaustion thanks to Kazuya; he would have to make a better impression on his brother’s new friends when he next saw them though.

They had overreacted by banning him from training; a whole week gone that he could have spent working on his taijutsu. He had spent it working on his seals so it wasn’t a complete waste but he still felt like he wasn’t ready for today.

They had drawn random lots for the tournament but judging by the fact that there was a chance that five of the six Kumo-nin could advance to the next round, Naruto didn’t put much faith in their ‘random’ system.

The tournament was being held in a large stadium under the hot August sun just outside the borders of Kumo, with thousands of filled seats and a small roofed viewing area that he could sense Jiji and another large signature in. He and his team were at the railing with the other competitors; the seats were about two metres behind them and a metre up. This structure allowed a view into the fighting area below which had no landmarks; just flat, hard-packed dirt.

He glanced up at the board once more.

Uzumaki Naruto (Konoha) – Takeuehi Denki (Kumo)

Harada Nobu (Kumo) – Ozaki Sajin (Suna)

Ishida Yoshiaki (Iwa) – Jin Izanagi (Kumo)

Nii Yugito (Kumo) – Arai Kazuya (Konoha)

Inuzuka Hana (Konoha) – Nakahara Tamiko (Iwa)

Yamane Atsushi (Kumo) – Koga Etsuko (Kumo)

Naruto bounced on the tips of his toes, finally finished stretching.

“Ready?”

He looked up to see Genma-sensei grinning around his senbon.

“I’m gonna kick his ass,” he grinned back. “Kumo ain’t going to know what hit it.”

“I don’t doubt it.”

His sensei laughed and moved to ruffle his hair. Naruto shot him a playful scowl as he moved out of the way; he’d tamed his hair into his favourite half-up, half-down style. He had tied the bottom half into a braid and twisted it into a bun; no one could grab it and use it against him like this. There was no way he was re-doing it.

Genma-sensei’s expression softened as he looked down at him and confusion began to distract Naruto from the bundle of excitement in his gut.

“Genma-sensei?”

“I’m really proud of you guys. I know I don’t say it often but I wanted to tell you guys now, before it all kicks off.”

Hana and Kazuya stopped their own stretches and looked up at their sensei with the same confusion that Naruto felt.

“You’ve come a long way,” Genma-sensei continued. “No matter what happens today, you’re the best genin team to compete at any chunin exam as far as I’m concerned.”

Naruto exchanged a look with his teammates before he joined them in collectively glomping their sensei. He closed his eyes for a moment and soaked up the warmth from his team, the vibrations from their laughter, and the familiar buzzing of their chakra.

“You’re secretly sappy, aren’t you?” Kazuya smirked as they separated.

Genma-sensei eyed them, his mouth still curled up at the corner.

“Tell anyone and I’ll transfer you to Gai.”

Naruto laughed at the horror that descended over his friend’s face before Hana spoke.

“When we become chunin, you’ll still be our sensei. You know that, right?”

“Don’t think you’ll get out of paying for ramen every time I master a new jutsu,” Naruto nodded seriously.

“Or dango,” Kazuya added quickly.

“Team dinner is still the first Friday of every month at your place,” Hana finished for them.

Genma-sensei looked at each of them silently for a long moment before nodding, his smile soft and genuine.

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

Their attention was abruptly drawn down to the arena as the proctor began to speak.

“Welcome to the third and final round of the Chunin Exams. Will Uzumaki Naruto and Takeuehi Denki make their way to the arena?”

Naruto bounced over the railing to the chorus of ‘good lucks’, rolling as he hit the dirt. As he took his position across from his opponent, he took a moment to scan him. Takeuehi was older than him, at least five years, and dressed in the standard navy Kumo uniform. Yellow eyes were narrowed at him beneath a mop of black hair; he had several inches on him but didn’t look physically strong or burly. He was lean; should be pretty fast then.

Inei looked between the pair of them before he lifted his hand, snapping it down as he jumped back.

“Begin!”

Naruto ducked beneath a punch and swept his legs underneath his opponent. Takeuehi jumped over the assault and swung his leg into Naruto’s face. He barely got his arm up in time for his brace to take the impact; using the momentum he rolled backwards, using the same move as the cliff face to slam a foot into his opponent’s chest. As he came back up, knees bent in a ready position, Takeuehi was coughing harshly.

Naruto grinned.

He darted forward, swinging his own leg. Swears escaped the Kumo-nin as he brought up his arms into a block. He kept up his kicks, dancing around his opponent as Takeuehi blocked and got in a few good punches of his own. He had been right earlier; Takeuehi was fast. The Kumo-nin kept up with him as they exchanged blows.

Naruto had always been at a disadvantage in taijutsu, being the youngest and smallest in all his matches since he entered the academy. He had had to come up with his own ways of fighting back, since he couldn’t fight them their way. He was fast and flexible which made him harder to hit; using his legs also gave him more power, almost equal to his bigger opponents using their fists.

He tried to smash an axe kick onto the top of Takeuehi’s head but the Kumo-nin snapped his head back and pulled out a kunai, aiming for his leg. Naruto’s mind raced and he abruptly shoved his weight forward; the kunai missed as his leg slammed towards the ground but he crashed into the Kumo-nin. As they hit the floor he flung his body away from his opponent, feeling a sharp sting on his thigh.

“ _Raiton: Raikou Hitofuki no Jutsu_.”

Naruto dove to the side as lightning struck the ground where he’d been standing. Forming the bird seal, he sucked in a deep breath as he rose to his feet from the dodge.

“ _Fūton: Daitoppa!_ ”

The burst of chakra-infused air disrupted the lightning jutsu. As Takeuehi shielded his eyes from the attack, Naruto whipped through another set of hand signs with his right hand and huffed under his breath,

“ _Bunshin no Jutsu_.”

Four more versions of him appeared to flank the Kumo-nin and Naruto breathed a sigh of relief. Even three years after graduating, he wasn’t sure about that technique. He joined his clones in diving for his opponent.

Takeuehi stabbed a kunai into the first clone and yelled a loud ‘fuck’ as it went straight through. Naruto took out his own kunai and rolled as a clone chucked itself directly for the Kumo-nin’s face. Coming up behind him, Naruto slammed his kunai into the back of Takeuehi’s neck and his opponent dropped like a stone.

A moment of silence followed as Naruto finally became aware of his burning lungs and he struggled to inhale enough air. His leg burned and he felt like he was bruised all over. He dismissed his clones as applause washed over him. His head snapped up as he took in the hundreds of cheering spectators; he’d forgotten they were even there. Their chakra signatures had always been in the back of his mind but in the fight, it had been unimportant. He had not focused on his sensing once the whole fight; no point in a one-on-one.

It had been almost refreshing.

“Takeuehi Denki is unable to continue. Uzumaki Naruto is through to the next round!”

Naruto grinned at the grumpy look Inei threw him and walked to the wall, channelling chakra to his feet to make his way back to his team. As he popped over the wall, he greeted his team with a peace sign.

“Damn Aka-chan, you really did kick his ass.”

Naruto was about to reply to his friends when he spotted the considering look from his sensei.

“You beat him almost purely with taijutsu, only resorting to ninjutsu at the end,” Genma-sensei said slowly. “Not a single seal, trap, or use of sensing ability.”

Naruto’s grin started to drop but his teacher continued.

“You are definitely ready to be a chunin if you’re beating people without using your best weapons.”

He laughed as Hana threw an arm around his shoulders, only wincing slightly at the forming bruises. He rolled his eyes fondly as Kazuya approached with bandages, eyes locked onto his leg. His team was the best.

* * *

“Will Nii Yugito and Arai Kazuya make their way to the arena?”

Kazuya stood from his seat on the floor and stepped over the railing, walking down the wall. He watched his opponent leap down across from him in a single bound, landing in a crouch. Nii Yugito. She had a Bijū sealed inside her, just like Rio. Rio was harmless, but it didn’t mean she would be; she might know how to use the massive amount of chakra that Naruto could sense.

As he stood across from her, her dark eyes piercing his, he took a deep breath. He rubbed his hand together, the rough leather of his gloves grounding him.

“Begin!”

Kazuya flashed through seals, thankful for those hours Genma-sensei spent making them practice them over and over as he finished before Nii could lunge.

“ _Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!"_

He unleashed the giant fireball from his mouth and leapt back to create some distance, shoving his hand in his pouch to grab some of his kunai. He watched as Nii jumped through the centre of the fireball and loosened his grip on his kunai for a moment. Maybe this match would be over quicker than they thought.

He startled back as a claw swiped at his face, catching his cheek. He flipped away as he dodged the other claw. Bringing out his kunai, he stared at his opponent. Her nails had grown out into sharp points, one currently dripping with his blood.

“You’re _fireproof_?”

She wasn’t even singed.

She aimed a feral grin at him before she lunged at him once again. Kazuya brought up a kunai and caught her arm; the poison would take only a few minutes. He had designed these ones specifically with these one-on-one matches in mind. She swiped at him again and he caught the same arm again, while sustaining another scratch on his own arm. If he got enough poison in her system, she might drop before he got more damage.

Nii flipped away and Kazuya hung back, watching. As she examined the cuts, Kazuya flipped through more hand seals.

“ _Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu!"_

As the small fireballs left his mouth, he flung his shuriken inside them. Nii smirked at him as she looked up from the steaming cuts.

“Didn’t learn the first time, Konoha?”

She let the first ball hit her and her smirk dropped. As she dodged the others, Kazuya let his own smirk surface.

“Bit cocky there, Kumo?”

She snarled and pulled his shuriken out of her shoulder. Kazuya’s own eyes widened as hers flickered red. He watched in confused horror as steam rose from her wounds.

“No use waiting for your poison to work,” Nii sneered, her eyes now completely red and slit like a cat. Her canines had grown past her lips and her toenails had grown to match her hands. “It’s been burned out of my system.”

So _katon_ jutsu and poison were out; so was genjutsu if Naruto was right about the size of her chakra supply. Chakra scalpels were still an option with his taijutsu, but she was both stronger and faster than him. He was just barely able to dodge as she lunged at him claws first.

He tried to concentrate his chakra to form the scalpels but couldn’t focus as he desperately flung himself out of the way of Nii’s claws. He quickly gave up on that tactic and dug out another kunai as he rolled across the dirt. He managed to get a few slashes in but Nii didn’t even appear to notice as her crimson eyes burned into his.

His lungs burned as he tried to think of something that might give him an edge in this match. Something snagged his foot and he only had time to think ‘oh shit’ before he fell to the ground. He fought the instinct to shove his hands out; he could not break his wrists here. A weight pressed on his back and his right arm was rammed up his back and Kazuya bit through his lip keeping the yelp in as he felt the bone give way.

He heard footsteps nearby.

“Can you continue, Arai?”

Kazuya huffed into the dirt. His arm was not only definitely broken but still in the sharp clutches of his opponent. None of his main weapons had worked; she was fireproof, immune to poisons and outclassed him in taijutsu enough that his medical jutsu was useless. His face was still bleeding along with all the other wounds she had inflicted on him and if he had to be absolutely honest, he was exhausted.

“No,” he scowled. “I forfeit.”

His arm was released as his defeat was announced to the audience. Kazuya gritted his teeth as pain throbbed through the limb and he held it close to his body as he stood. He looked over at his opponent and was somewhat mollified to see that she was at least roughed up and bleeding, if not outright beaten like him. The animalistic features had faded and her black eyes scanned him thoughtfully.

Was this what happened when people had a Bijū? Would he one day look at Rio and see red eyes looking back at him?

Kazuya wasn’t sure how he felt about that.

He limped his way over to the wall and shook his head at the Kumo medics who were starting to make their way over to him. He sighed, channelling chakra to his feet and heaving himself up the wall. He didn’t look at his teammates as he reached the platform.

He sat and leaned his back against the wall, fighting back tears. His hand glowed green as he scanned his broken upper arm; only one fracture on the humerus but it was a spiral fracture. It would take at least couple sessions of healing to fully recover and he would need to avoid using the limb until he could get it x-rayed properly back in Konoha. He channelled his chakra into a white orb in his working hand and started healing the scratches, starting with the one on his face.

A few moments passed before a pair of sandals entered his vision. He looked up to see Naruto smiling softly down at him. His friend crouched opposite him and held out a fist. Kazuya stared at it for a moment before he released the jutsu and bumped it with his own.

“You did amazing, Kazuya.”

“You really did,” Genma-sensei added, coming up behind the redhead. “She was a strong opponent and it was a bad match-up.”

“Who the fuck is _fireproof_?” Naruto muttered beneath his breath.

“I lost,” Kazuya said quietly, roughly wiping away the tears that had managed to fall.

They were supposed to win it all. Naruto had kept his end of the promise, but he had failed at the first hurdle.

“You did,” their teacher nodded. “And what did you learn?”

Kazuya reviewed the fight in his head.

“I need more variation in my ninjutsu. I also need to be able to create my chakra scalpels under any conditions, not just ones where I have time to concentrate. My taijutsu needs way more work too.”

“You’re never going to win every fight,” Genma-sensei shrugged. “That’s not what being a chunin is about. Surviving the fight and learning from it is always going to be more valuable in my book.”

The unpleasant churning in Kazuya’s gut eased slightly at his teacher’s words. He nodded and dug out a sling from his first aid supplies.

“For now though, it’s time to support Hana.”

Kazuya shot a look at Naruto and they both rushed to the railing to see their female teammate take her stance across from her opponent.

* * *

Hana returned the glare from the Iwa kunoichi across from her. The image of her teammate being pinned beneath that Kumo kunoichi still hadn’t left her thoughts. Kazuya was always the optimistic, ambitious one of their team; she had never seen him so crushed as when he’d come back after that match. She wanted to tear Nii Yugito apart for doing that to her friend.

The Haimaru brothers stood at her heels, hackles raised and growls deep.

“Begin!”

“ _Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu!"_

“ _Dōton: Doryūheki!"_

Hana’s fireballs slammed harmlessly off the tall mud wall that had risen from the ground. She gestured to her pups and they darted forward. She followed them up the mud wall and as she stood on top, she directed her companions.

“ _Dainamikku Maakingu!"_

She grinned at Nakahara’s confusion as the three dogs jumped around the kunoichi, releasing their urine onto the Iwa-nin to her loud disgust. As Nakahara flipped through more seals, Hana jumped back behind the mud wall and the dogs quickly joined her.

“ _Dōton: Iwadeppō no Jutsu!"_

Hana heard the thump of dirt hitting the wall and earth crumbled down on her as the wall began to fail. It soon stopped and silence fell. She stood and looked through the holes in the wall; there was no sign of Nakahara. Hana stepped away from the wall completely and looked around. The Iwa kunoichi wasn’t in the area. She looked down at her companions.

“Find her.”

The three Haimaru brothers spread out with their noses attached to the ground. Soon enough the eldest began scratch at the ground and Hana nodded at him.

“Follow her and let me know when she starts to rise out of the ground.”

He nodded and Hana gestured to the younger two. She threw the pair each a soldier pill and took one herself. She flipped though the seals.

“ _Inuzuka-Ryū Jinjū Kongō Henge: Santōrō_.”

She closed her eyes as the solider pills and chakra took effect and when she opened them she was staring down at the eldest Haimaru brother. This technique was always a rush; no one outside her clan could even begin imagine what this felt like.

A short bark attracted their gaze.

Nakahara burst through the ground, already finished her seals.

“ _Dōton: Ganchūsō!"_

The spikes of rock shot towards Hana’s large form but she swiped at them with a paw. The spikes broke and she bared her teeth at the scent of fear that reached her from her opponent. Her eldest dog clamped onto the kunoichi’s leg and as Nakahara was distracted, Hana began to spin.

“ _Garōga!"_

She followed the scent of the urine that the Haimaru brothers had covered the opponent in earlier and as the eldest let go and dove out the way, they slammed into the Iwa-nin straight on. Nakahara went flying back into the opposite wall and Hana released the technique as she felt her chakra reserves run low.

The proctor went over to check on the bloody Iwa-nin as Hana panted and dug her hands into her dogs’ fur.

“Nakahara Tamiko is unable to continue. Inuzuka Hana is through to the next round!”

The applause roared through the stadium as Hana made her way back to her team. Naruto high-fived her and Kazuya rolled his eyes fondly, smiling in his sling. Naruto hunkered down to hug the Haimaru brothers as Kazuya came over to scan her with his diagnostic jutsu.

“Not even a bruise,” he announced. “Just filthy as fuck.”

“Hey, there was a lot of _dōton_ jutsu,” laughed Hana. “Bound to get a bit dirty with that.”

“Well done, Hana,” Genma-sensei grinned. “You’re dependent on your clan jutsu but they’re very effective.”

“I almost felt bad for that Iwa-nin,” Kazuya peered down at the arena where she was being carried off by the medics. “You literally just stomped through her last attack like it was nothing.”

“I don’t know if I’ll ever get use to you turning into a giant three-headed dog.” Naruto was covered in the dogs by this point.

“Right,” Genma-sensei clapped his hands. “There’s the Kumo match next then a short break so we should take this time to get some food in you to build your chakra supply back up. Naruto, you’re the first match again. Hana, you’ll be third.”

Hana added to the chorus of ‘yes, sensei’ and went to grab some lunch from her pack.

* * *

“Will Uzumaki Naruto and Ozaki Saijin make their way to the arena?”

Naruto leapt over the railing and moved to once again stand across from his opponent. Kazuya had healed the cut on his leg and any bruises he had picked up so he was feeling as good as when he had faced the Kumo-nin earlier.

He hadn’t caught much of Ozaki’s match earlier but he had _fūton_ jutsu in his arsenal. He could work with that. The Suna-nin wore loose, black clothes with his head wrapped in white cloth, his headband tied around his forehead and extra fabric hanging down around his face.

“Begin!”

“ _Fūton: Daitoppa!_ "

“ _Fūton: Daitoppa!_ "

The jutsu clashed together in the centre of the arena and Naruto cursed, shoving his hand into his pocket to grab a bunch of kunai. As the wind died down he flung the kunai out in all directions, making sure they were further apart than when he had pulled the same trick on Genma-sensei last year.

“ _Kai!_ ”

He blew up the one closest to his opponent but Ozaki dove out of the way, forming hand seals.

“ _Fūton: Kūdan!_ ”

Naruto swapped with a kunai on the other side of the stadium as the air bullets slammed into the ground.

“ _Kai!_ ”

Another explosion rocked the arena and Naruto grinned as Ozaki rolled away, smoking curling away from his uniform.

“ _Fūton: Shinkūgyoku!_ ”

Naruto swapped with the furthest away kunai as the bursts of wind spread throughout the arena, dislodging most of his kunai. He glared at the Suna-nin from across the stadium and activated the few kunai left on the ground.

He darted forward as the explosions began but his stomach dropped as he heard Ozaki through the commotion.

“ _Fūton: Daitoppa!_ ”

The fire from the explosions roared as they grew in size. He could hear Ozaki cursing above the noise and was at least gratified to know that it wasn’t just him caught out by the size of the flames. He saw a burst of fire heading straight for him and tore a seal out of his pocket, slamming it down on the ground and desperately channelling his chakra.

A block of ice appeared in front of him and Naruto ducked behind it, narrowly avoiding the _fūton_ -fuelled fire. The flame died down, leaving behind an arena full of smoke. Naruto could feel Ozaki across from him and he stepped out from behind the melting ice, silently moving towards his opponent. He frowned as he felt chakra constructs leave the Suna-nin and he moved to the left as a chakra string hit the ground to his right.

The chakra strings moved randomly around the arena and Naruto dodged them with ease. The smoke was taking a while to dissipate but as long as he could take out Ozaki before they could see again, he would win this.

He’d managed to get to within two metres of the other shinobi when he felt a sharp thud in his chest. Looking down, his eyes widened at the sight of a shuriken sticking out of his shirt. It was in the lower right quadrant and every breath he took began to hurt. He pressed a hand to the wound and blood began to seep between his fingers.

He’d been so focused on the chakra strings and Ozaki’s chakra signature he hadn’t even thought to consider watching for other weapons. Maybe he was too dependent on his sensing.

“ _Fūton: Daitoppa!_ ”

The wind blew the smoke away and Naruto was left standing in the middle of the arena, clutching his chest as he sank to one knee. He looked up with a glare as Ozaki came up to him with a kunai, moving to hold it to his throat. The Suna-nin looked worse for wear and his white head wrapping was now a sooty black.

“Good match.”

Naruto snarled as Inei came over.

“Can you continue, Uzumaki?”

Naruto tried to take a deep breath but the pain was too much. He didn’t think he could overpower Ozaki to get away from the kunai like this.

“No.”

Inei turned to the crowd as Ozaki pulled away the kunai.

“Uzumaki Naruto is unable to continue. Ozaki Saijin is through to the next round!”

As the applause started up, Naruto pushed himself to his feet. He swayed for a moment before hands came to steady him and he looked up at his sensei.

“Hey, Naruto,” Genma-sensei smiled softly. “Let’s get you to Kazuya.”

Naruto nodded, his mind starting to go fuzzy as the blood continued flowing through his fingers. It wasn’t so bad if he kept his breathing shallow. His teacher picked him up and when Naruto opened his eyes Kazuya was staring down at him in concern. When had he closed his eyes?

“Hana is going to pull out the shuriken now, okay?”

Naruto bobbed his head and braced himself.

* * *

Kazuya channelled his chakra in preparation for the healing jutsu into one hand and as Hana got a firm grip of the embedded shuriken with the other. They’d have to be quick. He nodded to Hana; she yanked the weapon out of Naruto’s chest and Kazuya immediately pushed the white orb of chakra into the wound, blood initially pouring out as he shoved his chakra into the jutsu.

The injury slowly sealed itself up and Kazuya made sure that the muscles and arteries beneath the skin knitted themselves together properly, before he closed over the skin. His friend would have a small scar for a while but otherwise he would be fine.

He sat back and stared into Naruto’s soot streaked face. When the smoke had cleared and Naruto had been kneeling in the middle of the stadium and clutching his chest, Kazuya’s heart had jumped into his mouth. He had been doing so well up until that point.

“How is he?”

Kazuya looked back up at Hana and their sensei.

“He’ll be fine. It didn’t go deep, just nicked his lung really,” he shrugged, feeling the drain on his chakra supply. “There was some minor smoke inhalation too but that won’t need treatment.”

“Oh thank Kami,” Hana sighed in relief.

She held the bloody shuriken between two fingers away from her body. Kazuya held out his hand and she dumped the weapon in it. He tucked it into his pouch, out of the way. He frowned at the splatters of blood on his sling.

“Have some faith in me, guys.”

They turned collectively to stare at the grinning redhead. Naruto poked at his newest scar before pulling himself to his feet. He scratched the back of the head sheepishly.

“Sorry I couldn’t take Konoha into the finals.”

Genma-sensei ruffled his hair and Naruto let out an indignant squawk.

“You did well,” he said proudly. “You showed what you could do and you’ll learn from what you didn’t.”

“Besides, we still got Hana in the game,” Kazuya grinned, throwing an arm around their final teammate.

“Hana is the strongest,” Naruto nodded seriously.

Hana blushed a brilliant red and beamed at the pair of them.

“I’m actually interested in how ice got onto the field,” Genma-sensei continued.

“Oh, my ice seal.”

“Ice seal?”

“Yeah, remember when Aka-chan spent two months freezing us out of our own home trying to get that modified storage seal to work?”

“I did not.”

“The two months you and Rio spent invading my apartment for dinner?” Genma-sensei clarified.

“They came to our clan for breakfast,” Hana added.

“You don’t hear me complaining when you make your belladonna whatever-it-is in the family teapot!”

“No, instead you watch as I drink tea out of that same teapot and laugh as you drag me to the hospital.”

“Back to the ice seal,” Genma-sensei raised an eyebrow.

“Well,” Naruto sent a glare towards Kazuya, to which he stuck his tongue out in return. “I was thinking about explosion seals.”

This drew twin looks of confusion from the two who didn’t live with him and his thought process.

“An explosion seal essentially coverts chakra into potential energy. This potential energy builds up inside the seal and once disrupted, causes a massive change in that energy which fails to be contained within the seal. This results in the energy leaving the seal in the form of a heated explosion.”

Kazuya shared a look with Hana. The mechanics of Naruto’s seals were always completely beyond him. Give him a nervous system any day. Their sensei just looked thoughtful.

“So an explosion seal works by releasing energy to the surroundings,” Naruto continued. “It wouldn’t take much to reverse-engineer a seal to absorb energy instead. Taking enough energy from certain gaseous particles reverts them to a solid state; hence, ice seal. Theoretically, I could make a water seal too.”

A brief silence followed his words.

“That’s brilliant,” Genma-sensei murmured, his hand under his chin.

Whatever their teacher was about to say next was interrupted.

“Jin Izanagi is unable to continue. Nii Yugito is through to the next round!”

They rushed over to railing to see the Kumo-nin walking away without a scratch. Nii made her way back to the platform.

“They didn’t even fight!”

“He just forfeited!”

“Will Inuzuka Hana and Yamane Atsushi make their way to the arena?”

Kazuya watched his teammate and her companions make their way to their positions. This wasn’t good. When Hana made it to the final, her opponents would be well rested and prepared after seeing her fight. She would be at a disadvantage.

“Begin!”

Hana flipped through familiar hand seals and Kazuya watched as a fireball came shooting out of her mouth.

“ _Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!_ ”

While the Kumo-nin was distracted by the jutsu, Kazuya shared a wicked grin with Naruto as the Haimaru brothers circled him. They pounced, latching onto a limb each and Kazuya called out encouragement as Yamane cried out in pain.

“Kaz.”

Naruto grasped his arm and pointed. Kazuya followed his finger and watched as Yamane struggled through hand seals.

“ _Heki no Jutsu!_ ”

Lightning burst from the Kumo-nin and ran the length of his body. The dogs released him and let out keening whines as they struggled away from the still sparking opponent. Kazuya’s heart hurt for them as the brothers failed to get back to Hana, lying down at various spots near the edge of the arena. Hana’s head whipped around and Kazuya could feel the distress rolling off her from here.

Yamane winced as he let the lightning die down, blood still dripping from the bites on his limbs. Kazuya fought the urged to stand back as he watched Hana’s anguish turn to fury. She flashed through hand seals, her dark eyes locked onto her opponent.

“ _Tsuuga!_ ”

Their teammate turned into a spinning blur. The Kumo-nin’s injuries hampered his ability to dodge and even Kazuya had to cringe as Hana smashed into him full speed. A loud wet crunch, reminiscent of the Iwa-nins in the second stage, echoed over the quiet stadium.

Hana stood tall over the mess that had been her opponent before she darted off to check on the dogs. Kazuya tapped Naruto on the shoulder and they both hopped over the railing to help her. Inei went over to check on Yamane as Kazuya reached the youngest brother; his breathing was ragged and heartbeat fast, but he should be okay after some rest.

“Yamane Atsushi is unable to continue. Inuzuka Hana is through to the next round!”

Kazuya hefted the dog into his working arm and joined his team back onto the platform with the other two brothers. He checked over the other two over with Hana hovering over his shoulder.

“They’ll be fine but I don’t know if they’ll be able to fight in the next round,” he sighed heavily, petting the eldest’s head gently.

“Shit,” Naruto swore, one of the dogs’ head resting in his lap.

“It’s okay,” Hana began to pace. “What matters is that they’re going to be okay. I can fight in the final by myself.”

Kazuya frowned as Hana rested her forehead against the youngest brother’s head. He shared a worried look with Naruto.

* * *

The late afternoon sun shone over the packed stadium as the proctor moved to stand in the centre of the arena.

“This is the last battle of the third round of the Kumogakure Chunin Exams. Will Ozaki Saijin, Nii Yugito and Inuzuka Hana make their way to the arena?”

Hana stood and smiled shakily at her team, petting her brilliant companions on their heads before jumping down alone to take her place next to Inei. She stared at her opponents for a moment; they had each taken out her teammates. She prepared to leap back and flip through the seals.

“Begin!”

“ _Fūton: Daitoppa!_ ”

“ _Katon: Kaen Hisame no Jutsu!_ ”

“ _Dōton: Iwakageiseki no Jutsu!_ ”

The earth rose to cover Hana in a dome as the other two techniques collided outside. She could hear something thumping on the roof of her dome and dirt crumbled on her head as she waited for it to die down. Thank Kami her cousin had taught her the only defensive technique she currently had in her repertoire; she had a tendency to focus on the offensive.

The noise died down and she punched through a weaker section, peering out. Kicking through the rest of that section, she stepped out of the dome and looked around at the scorched earth. She peered back at her dome and gulped at the streaks of black covering the structure. Turning, she spotted Nii staring her down, the still smoking heap of Ozaki off to the side. Guess he wouldn’t be an issue in this match anymore.

She watched as Nii’s claws grew in the same way as Kazuya’s match and she responded with her own hand signs.

“ _Gijū Ninpō: Shikyaku no Jutsu!_ ”

Hana hit the ground on all fours, feeling her own teeth and nails lengthen. She growled at the Kumo-nin who hissed in response.

There was a beat of silence before Hana lunged at Nii, claws outstretched as she tried to slice any visible skin. She snapped at Nii’s wrist as the Kumo-nin swung at her neck; it was a near miss for them both. Swinging a leg out, Hana tried to catch Nii’s knee but her opponent jumped and crashed directly into her. The pair smashed into the ground and rolled, grappling as they each tried to gain the upper hand.

Hana caught Nii’s torso with her claws but before she could do more damage, a foot slammed into her cheek. She scrambled away from her opponent and spat out the blood pooling in her cheek. Nii’s now red, slit eyes met Hana’s and Hana grinned; she hoped the blood covering her teeth unsettled the other kunoichi. Nii flashed her own grin, tongue flicking out to lick the blood dripping down her face from Hana’s earlier swipe.

Despite herself, Hana could feel herself having fun. Nii was good and she loved stretching her skills like this. It was strange fighting without the Haimaru bothers but she knew they were safe; she just had to worry about herself.

They collided once more and Hana ducked beneath a swipe, landing a punch in Nii’s gut. She smirked at the ‘oof’ that escaped her opponent and got in another hit to her chest. She pulled back to land another but she felt a blow hit her knee. It popped out of place. She hit the ground hard and couldn’t straighten the joint back out; her sharpened canines pierced her lips as she bit down to keep the pained yelps from escaping. She felt sudden pressure on her neck and looked up, Nii pressing her foot onto her neck.

“Can you continue, Inuzuka?”

Hana huffed and allowed her transformation to fade, hand going down to grip her knee.

“No.”

Nii took her foot off and allowed her own features to return to normal. She stared down at Hana for a long moment before offering a hand. Hana stared at it confused for a moment before she took it, being heaved to her feet.

She hopped in place as the announcement was made.

“Ozaki Saijin and Inuzuka Hana are unable to continue,” Inei came over to lift Nii’s hand into the air. “Nii Yugito is the winner of the Kumogakure Chunin Exams!”

Hana felt hands supporting her and turned to smile at her teammates. It was finally over. They could all go home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Raiton: Raikou Hitofuki no Jutsu – Lightning Release: Lightning Blast Technique  
> Fūton: Daitoppa – Wind Release: Great Breakthrough  
> Bunshin no Jutsu – Clone Technique  
> Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu – Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique  
> Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu – Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique  
> Dōton: Doryūheki – Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall  
> Dainamikku Maakingu – Dynamic Marking  
> Dōton: Iwadeppō no Jutsu – Earth Release: Rock Gun   
> Inuzuka-Ryū Jinjū Kongō Henge: Santōrō – Inuzuka Style Rare Beast Transformation: Three-Headed Wolf  
> Dōton: Ganchūsō – Earth Release: Rock Pillar Spears  
> Garōga – Dual Wolf Fang  
> Fūton: Kūdan – Wind Release: Air Bullets  
> Fūton: Shinkūgyoku – Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere  
> Heki no Jutsu – Burst Technique  
> Tsuuga – Piercing Fang  
> Katon: Kaen Hisame no Jutsu – Fire Release: Incinerating Hail Technique  
> Dōton: Iwakageiseki no Jutsu – Earth Release: Rock Shelter  
> Gijū Ninpō: Shikyaku no Jutsu – Imitation Beast Ninja Art: Four Legs Technique


	17. Moving Forward One Step at a Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Team 7 get new jobs, Rio starts the academy and Kazuya is haunted by his past

Genma stood proudly behind his team as they waited for the Hokage to speak. They had gone above and beyond any expectations he’d had for them; he’d meant it when he’d said they were the best team and they had proved it to the entire Elemental Nations.

They’d arrived back home yesterday morning and his team were looking a bit better after a day off and a trip to the hospital. Naruto was back in orange and Kazuya in his purple tunic; even Hana had donned a colourful blue striped jumper. Genma was grateful that they listened to him and wore black on missions but couldn’t help but prefer his team like this. Bright and comfortable and cheerful.

The Hokage took his pipe out his mouth and considered the three genin.

“It was a very good showing at the Chunin Exam this year,” he said, eyes twinkling. “Raikage-dono was particularly interested in our genin crop.”

He looked over at Kazuya.

“I do have to wonder why you all rejected treatment from the Kumo medics for the entirety of the exams.”

“We had Kazuya,” Naruto piped up. “Don’t need treatment from anyone else.”

The Hokage stared at Kazuya for a long moment before nodding to himself.

“Well, I have consulted with your jounin-sensei and based on your reports on the first two stages and my own assessment of the tournament fights, I have come to a decision.”

His team held their breath as Genma grinned over their shoulders at the village leader. Naruto’s head snapped to the side and soon enough, the Hokage’s assistant entered the room with three chunin vests. Genma’s chest almost burst with pride as his kids each took a vest, holding it in their hands disbelievingly.

“Congratulations, Team 7,” the Hokage smiled. “You are all now chunin of Konoha.”

“Yes!”

“Thank Kami we don’t have to go through those again.”

A cough brought their attention back.

“Now to discuss your chunin assignments.”

Genma shifted as the three young chunin shared confused looks.

“Don’t we just do harder missions, Jiji?”

“Chunin on the active roster do complete missions, Naruto-kun, but not all chunin. You three will have assignments within the village as well as occasional missions outside of the village.”

The Sandaime turned to Hana.

“Hana-kun, your mother has already put in a request for you to train with your clan to become a veterinarian. You will also complete missions involving tracking and capture due to your skill set as an Inuzuka.”

Hana nodded and Genma smiled, recalling the young kunoichi’s dream to become the best veterinarian in her clan. This would put her well on her way.

“Kazuya-kun, you are to be assigned to the hospital as a medic-nin. From what I have heard, you have already spent several years helping the staff so now you can be paid for your time.”

Genma chuckled at the quiet, heartfelt ‘yes’ that the brunet hissed under his breath. Kazuya would love that.

“And you, Naruto-kun, will be placed on the Mission Assignment Desk.”

“Wait, what?”

Genma shared the redhead’s confusion.

“Is there not, like, a Sealing Division that I can join or something?” Naruto frowned.

“There is not enough shinobi competent in _fūinjutsu_ to form a division,” the Hokage explained. “It is a speciality that people rarely take on; there are many who have basic competency but no further. I contemplated putting you with the Barrier team due to your sensing capabilities but I don’t believe that would fully utilise your abilities.”

Naruto slumped and Genma could sympathise at the thought of dealing with all that paperwork.

“However, any missions or in-village requests involving _fūinjutsu_ will come to you.”

“Wait,” Naruto held out a hand. “What if I don’t know the answer? I’ve only been studying for three years; I just study what I find interesting.”

“What level have you reached?” asked the Hokage. “I know of your explosive seals which are at least intermediate.”

“There are levels?”

A brief silence fell over the office.

“Naruto-kun,” the Hokage asked slowly, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his desk. “How have you been learning _fūinjutsu_?”

“I told you. I just learn what I find cool or useful. I have the books from Ten-jiisan and I have to practice my calligraphy all the time, but a lot of the time I have an idea and I just read around until I find a way to make it.”

“There’s a lot of trial and error involved,” Kazuya added helpfully.

A sharp look from the Hokage prompted Genma to speak.

“He gets his learning materials from Tenjirou and the library. I know just enough to make sure he doesn’t blow himself up but a lot of the time he just does his own thing. Some of his seals are pretty high-level as far as I’m concerned; like his ice seal from the exams.”

“Yeah, it took me a while to get that one.”

“I’ll say.”

“Let it die, Kaz.”

The Hokage leaned back with a heavy sigh.

“Naruto-kun, what seals have you made?”

The redhead cocked his head in thought.

“Standard storage and explosive seals, although I modified both of those. _Raiton_ seals, ice seals, two types of security seals, perimeter seals, paralysis seals, umm, I suppose _suiton_ seals but they technically come under storage seals. I’m working on tracking seals that would help my sensing abilities narrow down on chakra signatures from greater distances...”

“He could go on forever, Hokage-sama,” Kazuya rolled his eyes fondly.

The Hokage stood and moved to take a scroll from the shelf against the wall. He unrolled it for a moment and nodded to himself, retaking his seat.

“Ordinarily, when one learns _fūinjutsu_ as a speciality you are apprenticed to a _fūinjutsu_ master and they are in charge of progressing you through the levels. We no longer have a master in Konoha with Jiraiya gone so you were left to your own devices.”

“I don’t need a master. I’ve been fine on my own.” Naruto crossed his arms.

“Indeed.” The Hokage tapped the desk. “There are ten levels in _fūinjutsu_ ; three basic, four intermediate and three expert. From what you’ve told me you are at intermediate level seven, although creating your own seals comes under expert level eight. I am also sure that there are going to be gaps in your education since you appear to have jumped between levels at random depending on your interests.”

“Wait, so Naruto is an expert? But not?” Hana piped up.

“Naruto is definitely Adept; those who have completed the first three basic levels. I would even go so far to say that he could be considered a Specialist, who is someone who has completed the four intermediate levels.”

“But I haven’t completed the levels,” Naruto frowned.

Genma furrowed his brow in thought. His youngest student had always been very creative when it came to _fūinjutsu_ ; sometimes it worked and sometimes it ended in damage control. There had been enough supervision to make sure the kid didn’t kill himself or anyone in his vicinity but Genma trusted that Naruto knew what he was doing. He himself had only gotten to level four back when he was a chunin; Naruto had surpassed him within two years of picking up the speciality.

“No, you have not,” the Hokage conceded. “However, I believe that you have covered enough of the material that I can give you your Specialist classification to clear you for missions.”

“Really? But I’ve only been studying it for three years.”

“Naruto, if asked you to write out and explain a security seal to me right this moment, could you?”

“Depends if you wanted the regular one in the library books or my own ones. The library one just gives the user a general idea that someone has entered and the direction but doesn’t give visual confirmation. Mine work as an early warning system since it’s not really effective to get the warning after the enemy enters...”

“Focus, Naruto,” Genma encouraged.

Naruto was brilliant but had a habit of going off on his own trail of thought when it came to seals.

“Right,” Naruto nodded. “I can either make you a flash or an explosive security seal. Flash lets the user know visually when someone comes within two metres while the explosive blows up any shinobi whose chakra signature isn’t keyed into the seal when they get in range. I also got a stealth one that is tied to the user’s chakra signature that sends a pulse when foreign chakra is detected.”

The Hokage smiled fondly at the redhead.

“That’s why. I can count on one hand how many shinobi in the village could respond to that question; security seals are intermediate level six. There are even fewer that could offer me their own seals as an alternative.”

“Plus it’s not as if you’re going to quit studying,” Kazuya added. “You’re only going to get better.”

The Hokage pulled a brush and wrote something on the scroll. After a moment he handed the scroll over to Naruto.

“Take that to the Registry on the way out to update your classification. You will in essence be a one-man Sealing Division.”

“So I basically have two assignments?”

The Hokage nodded.

“Essentially, yes.”

“Now, Hana-kun, you are free to go,” the Sandaime continued. “I need to speak with Kazuya-kun and Naruto-kun about their out-of-village missions.”

Hana threw a look at her teammates and they shrugged in response. Genma smiled reassuringly at her confused expression and guided her out the room.

“Meet me at training ground nine later,” he whispered through the open door. “I’ll teach you guys the _shunshin_ as promised for making chunin.”

Her face lit up and Genma closed the door, turning back to his remaining team members.

“Now, you both have very unique skill sets that are extremely valuable to Konoha,” the Hokage folded his hands on his desk. “It’s part of the reason why I have assigned you roles within the village; we cannot afford to send you on routine missions.”

Genma raised an eyebrow. This was uncommon. It did make sense though; Kazuya was a brilliant medic with a knack for poisons and Naruto had both natural sensing abilities and a talent for _fūinjutsu_. They were both so young too; Kazuya had turned twelve in February and Naruto was due to have his eleventh birthday in two months. It was exciting to think of how much they could grow; how much further they could go in their fields.

“Instead you will form a special unit and you will be attached to teams based on either requests or mission specifications. You will be known as Team Hari.”

The chunin exchanged a glance.

“I also wanted to ask you to consider something, Naruto-kun. I shouldn’t have to tell you all that this does not leave the room.”

“Sure, Jiji,” Naruto grinned as Genma and Kazuya nodded.

“I want you to help train the new ANBU recruits.”

Even Genma stared at the Hokage in shock. Naruto was good but he was a fresh chunin.

“With your sensing abilities, you’d be perfect for testing them on their stealth capabilities. ANBU recruits undergo their stealth assessment in April. For the duration of that month, they would try to stick a tag on you without using long-range techniques,” the Hokage explained. “Of course, you’d have to opportunity to memorise their chakra signatures before the month began and you would receive a large bonus for your time.”

“It sounds like you had all this planned out,” Kazuya pointed out.

“ANBU normally carry out this exercise with specifically picked jounin each year but Naruto’s sensing would provide the best training for them.”

“Okay, but they can’t ambush me at home,” Naruto conceded.

“Excellent,” the Hokage smiled widely. “All you need to do is call out their codenames when you catch them and hand in a report at the end of that month to the ANBU trainer. We’ll discuss it in more depth closer to the time.”

The Hokage pushed himself up from his chair and Genma straightened his back automatically, proud to note that his team did the same.

“That concludes our discussion for today. Enjoy your promotions before you start your new positions on Monday.”

“Thanks, Jiji!”

“Thank you, Hokage-sama.”

Genma shared a proud look with the Hokage as he followed his team out the door. He caught the boys before they headed off to Registry.

“Training ground nine later on, okay?”

“ _Shunshin_?”

He nodded and chuckled as the boys let out loud whoops of excitement, drawing stern looks from the Hokage’s assistant.

“Genma-kun.”

He turned as the pair left, looking back through the open door. The Sandaime smiled warmly at him.

“You did an excellent job with them.”

“I like to think that they did a good job with me,” Genma grinned wryly.

The Hokage nodded in understanding and Genma left, closing the door behind him.

* * *

Naruto flung himself out of his bedroom and into the kitchen, just barely avoiding knocking his arm into the kitchen cabinet to the right of his door. He loved this apartment but sometimes he wished they could afford something a bit bigger; he had no idea how they were going to fit three teenage boys in here in the future. It didn’t help that he had lost the _jan-ken-pon_ between him and Kazuya when they first moved so he got the awkward door practically in the kitchen.

Rio sluggishly shoved rice into his mouth at the kitchen table as Kazuya leaned against the counter holding out an orange. Naruto shot him an annoyed look as he grabbed the fruit; it was too early for smugness.

“Aren’t you going to be late?”

“Nope!” Kazuya replied cheerfully. “I don’t need to be at the hospital until noon. It’s just you that has the seven o'clock start.”

“Then why are you up?”

“Rio and I are going to go work on his katas. He starts the academy in January so we got to make sure he’s ready.”

“It’s August,” Rio whined pitifully. “Why do I have to get up at half six when it’s months away?”

“You’ll have to get used to it! It’ll be here before you know it.”

Naruto and Rio shared a long suffering look over their eldest brother.

“Where’s your chunin vest?”

Naruto stuffed half the orange into his mouth and shrugged. He didn’t like it. It was too big and the neck collar was too high and the shoulders weighed him down and it’s not as if he needed the pockets. He just decided on his black trousers with the bandages and a plain black t-shirt. He wore his brace and headband on his left arm like usual and his hair was thrown haphazardly into a high ponytail. It was not as if not wearing the thing would change his rank.

Kazuya rolled his eyes and strode away, disappearing into the room beside Naruto’s. Naruto shoved the rest of the orange into his mouth and went over to ruffle Rio’s hair, getting a tired squawk in return. He moved to the door, shoving his feet into his sandals. He swallowed the fruit and yelled behind him.

“At least I’m not wearing orange!”

Kazuya emerged from his room and threw a lump of cloth at Naruto’s head. He grabbed the fabric and threw his own confused look at his friend.

“Maybe you should be.”

Naruto shook out the cloth and examined the jacket in shock. It had a black collar and black sleeves. It also had black lining on the long middle zip, the two lower pockets, and black ribbing on the bottom hem that matched the end of the sleeves. The rest was orange. The front panels and entire back of the jacket were a glorious burnt orange. Naruto’s grin grew as he took in the small details Kazuya had added.

The orange Uzumaki spiral had been sown into the right shoulder and a Konoha headband plate into the left where his headband on his brace would be. The Konoha symbol had also been sown into the front left part of the chest in black thread. He turned it over and let out a loud laugh at the large kanji sown into the back.

“You really wrote ‘chunin’ on the back?”

“Didn’t want people to mistake you for a genin, or worse, an academy student. You’re short enough.”

“Thanks, Kazuya,” Naruto smiled warmly, letting the short joke go. “This is amazing.”

He shrugged the jacket on; he had already catalogued all the places he could add storage seals. It was a bit big but he’d grow into it.

“But why?” He couldn’t help but ask. “You hate it when I wear orange. You always say it clashes with my hair and I’m like a walking flare.”

Kazuya moved to sit at the kitchen table opposite Rio. The blond was staring at Naruto in awe and shot him a thumb up.

“Yeah, but you love orange. At least this way, you are wearing something that looks good despite the colour.”

Naruto could see Kazuya was trying to seem cool but his friend had put a lot of work into this. He moved to say something else but Kazuya continued.

“Besides, aren’t you going to be late?”

Naruto looked at the clock to the left of the door and swore loudly, flinging himself out the front door and shouting a ‘bye’ behind him. He formed his right hand into the tiger seal.

“ _Shunshin no Jutsu_.”

He reappeared on a nearby rooftop and smirked. He was going to enjoy this jutsu. He ran across the rooftops, hopping between buildings as the wind flowed through his open jacket. He leapt down and rolled to a stop in front of the academy. He stared up at the massive building.

The academy, the Hokage’s office and all the administrative offices were housed here; including the Mission Assignment Desk. Desk duty. It would be nice to be in the village near Rio and to be able to depend on a steady pay check, but _desk duty_. He entered the building and made his way to the Mission Assignment Desk, tugging his jacket back into place.

He soon entered the large room where missions were issued. He walked up to the long green desk full of chunin, the morning light shining into the room from behind through the wall-length windows.

“I’m Uzumaki Naruto; I’m starting here today?”

One of the chunin at the desk looked up and frowned at him.

“You’re Uzumaki?”

Naruto nodded and the man’s frown deepened.

“You look like you should be in the academy.”

Naruto rolled his eyes and turned, pointing a thumb at the carefully stitched ‘chunin’ on his back.

“Definitely supposed to be here; passed the Chunin Exams a week ago and everything.”

The man’s frown deepened and he beckoned over his shoulder. Naruto felt a chakra signature approach and looked over to see a man walk over. He had brown hair with two long bangs that framed his face. His headband shadowed his eyes so Naruto couldn’t see them and he was dressed in a grey, buttoned up jumpsuit.

“Follow me, Uzumaki.”

Naruto turned and followed the man away from the desk and into a door in the left side wall. They passed through a small room with a single desk to their right and a large shelf behind it; the chunin sitting there threw them a bored look as they passed.

“I’m Hijiri Shimon. I’ll be explaining your role here so please try to keep up.”

They passed through another door and came to a large room with two long lines of desks running through the middle of the room. A massive map of the Elemental Nations was plastered across the far wall with notes and kunai sticking out of it. A row of brown pipes were lined up against the closest wall, opposite the map. Tall bookshelves lined the wall to his left and windows were in the walls to the right. The room was bustling with activity and Naruto almost felt like the room was buzzing.

Hijiri led him to a desk; it was closest to the windows with his back to the pipes.

“This is your desk,” the man tapped the back of the chair. “Have a seat.”

Naruto hesitantly took a seat, hoping there was going to be more to his introduction to the department. Hijiri sat on his desk.

“So the way we work is we get a mission from a client or the village itself. We assess the risks and assign a rank and subsequent value corresponding to that rank. We check the active roster to find an appropriate team for the mission. We then send out summons if necessary for those teams and brief them.”

Naruto nodded. It made sense so far.

“When those teams come back, we handle debrief and get a report on the mission. Are we clear on everything so far?”

“Yeah...should I be writing this down?”

“Do it later. Now we have to work with the many departments in the administrative offices contained within the building. We work with the Registry and the Aviary within the Communications department to find and contact appropriate shinobi for missions. We also sometimes need to contact Intelligence if a mission comes in involving a country or village that we don’t have much information on.”

Naruto tried to commit this to memory as Hijiri forged on.

“After the mission is where the bulk of the work is. We get intelligence on the country or village they were sent to and we process it; if there’s anything new, we pass it on to Intelligence. We also have to hand the shinobi the correct payslip so they can take it to the Finance department and get their mission pay; if we make a mistake, then it messes up their deductions and taxes and they can get really annoying about it. We send them to the hospital or to psychological assessment depending on their condition and it’s up to us to send a message to the Registry to update their records. In the worst case scenario, if they don’t come back then it’s up to us to flag it when they’re late and to organise a mission to find out what happened. Same if someone dies, we have to let the Registry and the Hokage Office know.”

Naruto swallowed hard at the thought. Hijiri stood and pointed to the pipes behind him.

“These pipes are each connected to the other departments in the building. They’re not labelled so you’ll just have to ask until you memorise them.” He pointed out the biggest one near the door they had entered through; it had a large box beneath it. “That one is our one; we get a bunch of mail from the other departments so check it at least every hour. Ones from the Hokage Office are marked with red so if you see that, check it immediately.”

“Are the pipes secured?” He couldn’t help but ask; it seemed like there would be a lot of room for tampering there.

“There are security seals on them. You need to put your chakra into them to send it and the person on the other end needs to do the same to get it. It’s been tested; you can’t get it out midway.”

Naruto nodded and Hijiri continued, pointing at the map.

“That is the most current, up-to-date intelligence Konoha has on the entirety of the Elemental Nations. We update after every mission and we do not classify missions without consulting it first.”

It was impressive map. Iwa was covered in red notes, presumably to say ‘stay away’.

“How is that secured?”

Hijiri sent him a strange look.

“We secure the room.”

“Oh.”

“So where else you stationed?”

“What?”

Hijiri gave him an amused look.

“No one here is just assigned to the Desk. I’m also in the Analysis team for half the week.”

“I’m the Sealing Division,” Naruto offered, scratching the back of his neck at the confused look.

“I thought that we didn’t have one anymore?”

“I’m now considered the Sealing Division.”

“You’re like ten.”

“Yep.”

Hijiri appeared to think for a moment before shaking his head, muttering beneath his breath. Naruto could have sworn he heard ‘above my pay grade’. He pointed to the trays on his desk.

“Blue is ‘to be classified’, green is ‘ranked and assigned’, yellow is ‘mission report’ and red is ‘to be sent to another department’. We take turns being on the front desk. Good luck!”

Hijiri walked off and Naruto stared after him. He switched his gaze to start down at his desk and looked up as a signature approached. A chunin placed a pile of papers on his desk.

“Some D-ranks to start you off,” she said cheerfully.

She disappeared and Naruto stared in horror at the stack on his desk. He tried to recall what Hijiri had told him.

He so should have written it down.

* * *

Rio bounced along the village street, looking back every two seconds to make sure his super slow brothers were keeping up. It was his first day at the academy! He couldn’t be late! He was finally going to start his own journey to become a shinobi, just like his family.

“The academy isn’t going anywhere, Sunshine.”

“Come on, I can’t be late!”

Rio grinned as the academy came into sight in the distance.

“Hey, Rio!”

His head snapped round to see Kiba running towards him down another street. Tsume and Hana followed behind him at a slower pace, much like his own situation. Kiba attempted to grab him in a headlock but Rio danced around him, knocking his friend to the ground with a well-placed kick to the back of his knee.

“Dude, not cool!”

“You started it! This is a new jumper; I’m not letting you ruin it!”

Kazu-nee and Nii-san had presented it to him yesterday. It was forest green with leaves outlined in darker shades on the hem and the sleeves. Paired with his clean black shorts and sandals, Rio was ready to impress everyone there. Kazu-nee had even sown the Uzumaki clan symbol into the upper back of the jumper, just like the other clans.

“Hi, guys.”

“Hey, Hana.”

“Boys.”

“Tsume-san.” “Tsume-san.”

Rio rolled his eyes and dragged his best friend up from the ground. They continued towards the academy and soon enough they came upon a crowd of people. Rio looked through the kids and ducked behind Kiba as he spotted the awful blonde girl that always came and yelled at them in the park.

“Hey, there’s Shikamaru and Chouji!”

The other two boys wandered over, two grown-up versions of them following behind.

“This is such a drag,” Shikamaru groaned. “Why do they have to start school so early in the morning?”

Chouji offered him an opened packet of crisps. Shikamaru shook his head and Chouji shrugged offering it to Rio. Rio took him up on it, munching away as the adults joined them.

“You kids ready for the academy?” Chouji’s dad asked merrily.

“No.” “Hell yeah!”

“Yep,” Rio added his own answer to his friend’s replies.

“Rio hasn’t stopped talking about it for the past month.”

Rio looked back in betrayal at Kazu-nee as Nii-san chuckled beside him.

“We’ve heard about Uzumaki Rio from our sons,” nodded Shikamaru’s dad. “Only good things.”

“That’s strange,” Nii-san ruffled his hair and Rio shoved the hand away in embarrassment. “I’m Uzumaki Naruto and this is Arai Kazuya. We’re his brothers. Nice to meet you Nara-san, Akimichi-san.”

“No need to be formal with these guys, brats.”

“How are you, Tsume?” Shikamaru’s dad grinned.

Kiba’s mother grinned back.

“Ready to get rid of my youngest.”

“Kaa-chan!”

A bell rang out from the entrance of the academy.

“Right, time to go!” Kazu-nee clapped his hands and began shooing Rio and his friends towards the door. Nii-san continued talking with his friends’ parents but Rio lost track of what they were saying as they were swallowed up by the crowd of kids entering the school. He shared a grin with Kiba as they took their first step towards becoming shinobi.

* * *

Hana waited by the entrance of the dango shop, tapping her foot. Of course they were late; Naruto was tumbling out the door every day of his life while Kazuya had a tendency to get distracted and forget time was a thing. It had been seven months since they had fought in the tournament finals but it was still strange not to see them every day.

It was great training with her clan to finally qualify as a veterinarian but she did miss her two idiots, even if she did see them for team dinner every month. It was a special day today though, the third of February.

“Hey, Hana!”

Naruto came running up, Kazuya in tow. She smiled as she shook her head. She pulled Kazuya into a tight hug as they came into range.

“Happy birthday, Kaz,” she pulled back and grinned at him. “Welcome to teenage-hood.”

“Thanks,” he smiled back.

They pulled apart and entered the dango shop. It was not only Kazuya’s favourite but to her knowledge it was the only one that hadn’t banned the pair. She had no idea why half the shops in Konoha had a grudge against them and Rio but it was ridiculous. She made it a point to avoid them and her mum did the same.

They ordered and Hana dumped Kazuya’s gift on the table. As Kazuya examined the package, Hana turned to Naruto.

“So Genma-sensei’s on a mission, huh?”

“Yup, but he’s paying for the dango.”

“Nice.”

“What’s this?”

She looked over to see Kazuya staring at the scrolls she had given to him. She had been looking for something for Kazuya at the bookstore and when she had spotted them, it had been perfect. It had nothing to do with any of his training or his job at the hospital.

“They’re star charts,” she explained. “I figured you need a hobby outside of poison and medical studies but you’d get bored with anything easy so...stars. You can learn them and the constellations; could even use it for navigation at night!”

“This is amazing, Hana,” Kazuya said in awe. “I would never have picked this out for myself.”

She slumped slightly in relief. She had believed that he would like it but it really wasn’t something he had been given before.

“That’s really cool,” Naruto peered over Kazuya’s shoulder to look at the scroll.

“What’d you get him?” Hana asked, leaning back as their order were placed on the table. “I can only imagine what seals you came up with for him this year.”

“Medical ones.”

Hana shot a look at Kazuya as he placed the star charts carefully in a storage scroll.

“Yeah, you know his lightning seals? He engineered them to work as defibrillators.”

Hana gaped at their youngest member as he shrugged.

“I was already zapping them. This is just zapping them with purpose.”

“Everyone at the hospital is going slightly nuts.”

“So how’s Kiba doing? Rio’s finally realised that the academy isn’t everything he expected.” Naruto grinned, as if remembering their own first day.

“Kiba is the same,” she laughed. “It’s hilarious seeing it now I’m older. Do you think we were like that?”

“Almost definitely.” Kazuya joined in on her laughter.

“Come on guys, it’s only been a month. They have a long way to go yet.”

“I seem to recall you bursting into Hokage-sama’s office after your first day announcing that the academy sucked, Aka-chan.”

“Well I wasn’t wrong.”

Hana ate a dumpling off her skewer, savouring the sweet taste as it melted on her tongue.

“I don’t think they were expecting this much studying,” Naruto shrugged. “They probably wanted more fighting and stabbing and fancy jutsu. I know I did in first year.”

“We all did, which is why we didn’t stay in first year.” Kazuya pointed his skewer at the redhead. “They don’t have that option; they just have to suffer.”

Hana coughed, choking on her bite of dango as she muffled her laughter. The boys turned to stare at her and she swallowed with a struggle.

“Kiba and Rio doing maths.”

At her words, her teammates burst out into laughter.

“Oh man, those poor suckers!” Naruto giggled.

“I guess it’s going to fall to me to shove that into their skulls like I did with you guys, huh.”

“Come on, Kazuya,” Hana grinned. “Not like we didn’t shove stuff into your brain in return.”

“Speaking of, weren’t we supposed to leave all that boring paperwork stuff back in the academy?” Naruto’s grin dropped into a pout. “It’s like Jiji wants me to suffer through the years in the academy I missed.”

“Don’t you voluntarily study _fūinjutsu_ though?” Hana asked, confused. “That’s, like, the most book-heavy, study-intensive discipline you can do as a shinobi except medical ninjutsu.”

“Yeah, but that’s _fūinjutsu_ ,” he replied, as if that explained everything. “That’s not work.”

“So it’s busy up at the Desk then?” Kazuya smirked.

Naruto groaned, his head thumping as it dropped onto the table.

“There’s just so much to remember and I have to talk to so many different departments and there are so many forms! Doesn’t help that the person closest to my age is still like ten years older than me.”

“You’ll be fine,” Hana smiled at him.

Kazuya patted Naruto’s head, drawing a glare from the younger boy.

“There, there, Aka-chan.”

“Just because it’s your birthday doesn’t mean I won’t maim you.”

Kazuya rolled his eyes, turning to share an amused glance with Hana.

“Kids, am I right?”

“I’m eleven, teme. You were fucking twelve yesterday.”

“I’m fourteen in April.” Hana added, stifling a laugh at Naruto’s betrayed expression.

“Is this what people mean when they complain about their kids becoming teenagers?” He huffed.

Hana and Kazuya sniggered at their friend. Naruto couldn’t hold his pout and soon joined them, their mirth echoing throughout the shop.

* * *

The ANBU watched the boy from a distance as he left the library with a different set of scrolls than when he had entered two hours ago.

This had to be a joke. This couldn’t be their stealth training for ANBU. Their ANBU trainer had been completely serious when he had given them the assignment three days ago, but when he had briefed them it had sounded so reasonable.

Attach a tag to Uzumaki Naruto only using stealth or covert techniques. No mid or long-range jutsu and no ambushing the kid at his flat. They had the entire month of April and one attempt a day.

As Tora stared at the boy from the rooftop though, he couldn’t help but think that maybe they were getting a bit soft with the ANBU training. Although they had oddly made it a point to emphasise this was an exercise in stealth and ambush, not speed and overwhelming the opponent with pure strength.

The kid was around ten, with long bright red hair and a black and orange jacket. He stuck out like a sore thumb. He had heard that the youngest genin team had made chunin in the exams last July but the kid didn’t even come up to his elbow. He would have understood if it was someone like Weasel; the Uchiha may have only been thirteen but he had recently been promoted to ANBU captain. That kid was an incredible shinobi; this one wore _orange_.

He watched the young chunin weave through the market without a care in the world and Tora followed.

There were five ANBU trainees this year and Tora knew they were also watching the kid from around the village. It would just be a matter who tried first. They had just been watching the kid for the past three days, waiting for the other sandal to drop, but it appeared that there was no hidden trap in the task. He moved closer so he was nestled on the rooftop adjacent to the fruit stall that Uzumaki had stopped beside.

He could just ambush the kid; there was no way he would know that he was coming. He was an ANBU, the kid was a chunin; the difference in their abilities would be too wide for Uzumaki to mount a defence. He could also just pass him with a _henge_ and tag him as he passed, the kid wouldn’t be able to detect it.

“Tora, you’ve been caught!”

Tora jolted and flung his head over the side of the roof to look down at the ground. Uzumaki was staring up at him with a wide grin. He turned, waving a hand over his shoulder.

“Better luck tomorrow!”

Tora sat back and watched the chunin walk away. How had the boy known he was there? There were jounin that wouldn’t have known he was there.

He might need to rethink this.

* * *

Kazuya shrugged on his brown waistcoat as he made his way to the hospital reception to meet up with Naruto. He’d finished up with his morning shift and since his friend had the afternoon free, they had decided to go train. Just because they were mainly stuck in the village didn’t mean they could afford to slack off on their training.

He came to the desk and waved to the receptionist, Sara, as she smiled back at him. His grin dropped as he spotted the man loitering around the entrance. The man looked up at him and his glower twisted into a pleased snarl.

“Kazuya!”

Kazuya couldn’t help but take an involuntary step back. He looked exactly the same; greasy, short brown hair, dark eyes, an overhanging gut from years of flinging back too much beer, his dirty builder’s uniform. He could already smell the stale sweat and alcohol and it was like he was six years old again.

“You think since you became a fancy ninja that you’re too good to speak to your uncle? Huh?”

Kazuya looked towards the entrance but his feet wouldn’t move.

“After everything I did for you after Yua died! I fed you, put a roof over your head, and the minute you have the cash to pay me back you fucking vanish! For three years! Out on your fancy ninja missions no doubt!”

His uncle strode towards him and Kazuya hunched his shoulders instinctively, his stomach clenching and heart thudding in his chest.

“You owe me boy!”

His uncle was stopped from advancing any further as someone’s hand wrapped around his arm. Kazuya and his uncle looked to see an angry redhead boring a hole into the man’s skull.

“He owes you nothing, Arai Zankoku.”

“Fuck off, kid,” his uncle snapped Naruto’s hand off angrily. “This is none of your fucking business. This is between me and my nephew.”

“Actually, it is my fucking business.” Naruto shoved himself in front of Kazuya. “Kazuya is a part of my family now so you have something to say to him, you say it to me.”

Zankoku looked between Naruto and Kazuya, sneering.

“Replaced me, huh? It’s only a matter of time before he realises you’re more trouble than you’re worth.”

Kazuya swallowed the lump in his throat.

“Are you actually here for something or just here to be a public nuisance? Because I can call security.”

His uncle’s eyes snapped back to the redhead.

“Kazuya owes me. I paid for his food, clothes, roof over his head. Now he’s got a wage, I want that debt repaid. Of course, because it’s been three years, the interest has built up a fair bit.”

Kazuya looked away from that familiar cruel smirk.

“Bullshit.”

Both Kazuya and his uncle snapped their heads to stare at Naruto in shock.

“He owes you nothing.”

Zakoku opened his mouth to argue but Naruto continued.

“Arai Yua had funds and assets left behind after she died, and according to the will she left it was all to go to Kazuya.”

Kazuya’s mouth dropped open. He’d heard nothing about this. He had just been told that everything had been lost after the Kyūbi attack.

“The will was destroyed in the attack.” Zankoku actually looked uncomfortable. “There’s no way to know what was in it.”

“You’d think that, but I had an interesting conversation with the Civilian Department in the Administrative Offices. Turns out, a copy is kept in their Legal Division just in case disputes like this occur.”

Kazuya watched numbly as his uncle’s face drained of colour.

“Kazuya owes you nothing because you’ve already taken money that’s rightfully his. It’ll be up to him what legal action he wants to take.”

His uncle’s eyes darted to him but Kazuya was looking at Naruto. His friend was gazing steadily at him; it was like he was saying no matter what Kazuya chose to do, Naruto would be there for him. The knot that had been choking him since his uncle had appeared loosened and Kazuya turned to look his uncle square in the eyes.

“I want nothing,” he said, taking a deep breath, the knot still twisting in his gut. “I want nothing to do with you. I want you to leave me alone and never talk to me again.”

Zankoku opened and closed his mouth for a few moments in shock. Naruto took a step forward threateningly and the man staggered back, swearing.

“Fucking fine then,” he spat. “Don’t fucking need anything from you anyway. Just don’t come crawling back to me when that brat figures out he’s better off without you.”

His uncle stumbled out of the hospital entrance and Kazuya took a moment to stare, before he turned to his best friend. Naruto was glaring at the door, a disgusted look on his face.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were looking into my mother’s will?”

The disgust drained and Naruto scratched the back of his neck sheepishly.

“It was just an idea I had. I have to speak to so many departments at the Desk and one day I had to deal with the Civilian department. One thing led to another and I ended up finding about the spare copies of civilian wills and figured I could see if you had been left anything by your mum.”

Kazuya opened his mouth to speak but Naruto continued.

“I have to be honest though, they only keep them for up to five years. Everything I just said to your uncle was a bluff backed by educated guesses.”

Kazuya processed his words and pulled his best friend into a tight hug. He closed his eyes and soaked up his friend’s warmth for a moment before letting go.

“Thanks, Naruto.”

“Hey, Kazuya, are you alright?”

He looked back to see Sara coming up to them, concern written all over her face.

“I’m fine, Sara.”

“Well, I’ve given his name and description to security so he won’t get near this building again.”

She nodded to herself and squeezed his arm, going back to her desk. The final vestiges of discomfort and turmoil left his body and Kazuya flung an arm around Naruto.

“Come on, let’s go blow some shit up.”

He was so lucky to have these people in his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shunshin no Jutsu – Body Flicker Technique


	18. The Saddest Thing About Betrayal Is That It Never Comes From Your Enemies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Sasuke's world falls apart and he has to pick up the pieces, with a little help from a meddling redhead

Naruto dropped his head onto the table and let out a loud groan. Kazuya, the traitor, let out a laugh from his place on the sofa and Naruto shot over a glare that the brunet couldn’t see.

“If you had done it when I told you to, you wouldn’t be suffering like this.”

Naruto just let out a louder groan.

“Why are there no classes in the academy on how to do taxes? Why do we do much pointless maths yet when we actually need it...?”

“You know, even if there were, we skipped so much of the academy that we probably would have missed them anyway.”

“Shut the fuck up.”

Naruto glared down at the tax forms. Life had been so much easier as a genin. As a genin, tax is automatically deducted from your mission pay so you never have to worry about it. Same with active mission chunin and jounin; whenever he did missions as Team Hari, his mission pay also followed this system.

Desk chunin, however, due to the fact they are paid by the hour and often work in multiple departments have to fill out a form per department and get proof of hours worked from the Registry. This all gets handed in to the Finance department, who work out the tax threshold for the coming year based on what was worked that year. Since he didn’t have to do that last year, his tax threshold was low this year as it was set at the minimum but he had a bad feeling it was about to go way up. He even had to fill in _another_ form for the bulk payment he got in April for the ANBU training.

“We have to leave soon.”

“I know,” Naruto snapped back, filling in some of the pages. “It’s easy for you. You literally only have the hospital to worry about. I have three sources of income.”

“You knew these were due at the end of June.”

Naruto rolled his eyes as he scribbled his signature down. The tax year in Konoha was June-June due to the chunin and jounin exams taking place in July. This set up the village finances in preparation for the promotions from those exams.

He quirked his head to side as he felt Rio’s signature come into range.

“Rio’s on his way.”

“Nice!” Kazuya jumped up.”I’ll handle the ambush, you finish those forms.”

As his friend got the bucket and walked up the wall to stand above the entrance, Naruto scrawled some last signatures down. He put his brush down and took a moment to scan the forms; they looked right but he wouldn’t know for sure until the Finance department sent them back covered in red ink. He shrugged and rolled them up, standing and shoving them into his pocket as Rio’s signature reached the front door.

The door swung and Naruto grinned as Kazuya dumped the bucket of glitter over their youngest brother, the blond letting out a loud shriek. Naruto doubled over in laughter as Rio stood in the doorway, frozen in shock. Kazuya joined him and Naruto wheezed as his friend lost control of his chakra, thumping onto the floor. Rio glared at the pair of them, his arms held out to the side as he was surrounded by heaps of glitter.

“Kazu-nee! Why?”

Naruto gasped for breath as Kazuya struggled up from where he had fallen, still giggling.

“Just because you’ve started the academy doesn’t mean we can slack on the training,” Kazuya grinned. “A good shinobi always has to be aware of his surroundings.”

“Y-yeah,” Naruto wheezed, clutching his side as a stitch started up. “You need to be able to dodge that.”

The sight of Rio folding his arms and pouting, still covering in bright, gold glitter, set them off again.

“This is not what I meant by training,” Rio scowled.

“Yet it will prove invaluable,” Kazuya finally dragged himself up from the floor and patted Rio’s hair lightly. “Now, make sure it’s all cleaned up by the time we get back from our mission. I’ve made a bunch of meals for you in the freezer and you can go to the Inuzuka for anything else.”

He dodged around the swipe from the angry academy student and Naruto took that as his cue to grab his packed bag from beside the fridge. He threw Kazuya’s to him as the older boy darted to the window.

“You can’t expect me to clean this up by myself!”

“Love you, Sunshine!” Naruto called behind him as he reached the window. “Study hard, Hana’s in the village if you need anything, stay safe and out of trouble!”

He followed Kazuya out the window to the sounds of Rio’s outrage. First the Finance department, then the front gates to meet the other member of their team.

* * *

Naruto closed his eyes, walking forward slowly. He waited patiently until he finally felt the foreign chakra beginning to enter his system.

“Now.”

He opened his eyes and looked to Kurenai. She smiled and nodded, dispersing the genjutsu.

“You’re getting really good that that.”

“You really are,” Kazuya agreed, walking beside the female chunin. “There’s almost no delay between her casting the genjutsu and you sensing it now.”

Naruto grinned and skipped along the dirt track to Konoha.

Yūhi Kurenai was a tall, dark-haired woman who at the start of the mission had seemed very unsure about them. It had quickly become apparent that it was due to their age but after liberating a town in the deep south of Fire Country between just the three of them, she had re-evaluated. Naruto liked to think that his sensing and Kazuya’s healing of the town’s entire infirmary had played a part in that.

They had also learned a bit about her as well; turns out she was a genjutsu mistress. The first stage of the chunin exams still stuck in Naruto’s mind and he knew he had to get better at detecting chakra entering his system, no matter how subtle or how much was going on. He wasn’t about to let this opportunity pass so he had managed to convince her to cast genjutsu on him on the way back. She had seemed a bit confused but caught on quickly after the first couple illusions.

“Now if you could do that in the middle of battle, you’d be sorted.”

“The fact you can do it at all is amazing,” Kurenai smiled, raising her eyebrow at Kazuya. “There are not many shinobi who can detect my chakra during a genjutsu.”

The village gates came into view and something in Naruto relaxed at the sight. It had been a long month away and Naruto was more than ready to sit down with a bowl of ramen with Rio, even if it was a bit late. He wondered if he’d been able to get the glitter out of everything; the academy chunin had been finding it in their staffroom for weeks when they dumped it in there.

They handed in their papers to Izumo and Kotetsu at the gate and waved to Kurenai as she headed off in the opposite direction. Naruto hoped they had more missions with her in the future; she was cool. They would meet up to hand in their mission reports first thing tomorrow morning, using tonight to write them up. Naruto was already cataloguing the new information that would be added to the giant map in the office.

He and Kazuya walked along the village streets, the dark, cloudy sky casting an uncharacteristic gloom over the village. Naruto stretched out his sensing ability to track down Rio but stopped as he came across a gaping void, with more lights flickering out even as he stood there.

“Kazuya, you need to get the ANBU to the Uchiha compound. There’s a team south-southwest of here, on top of the kimono shop.”

“Wait, why-”

His friend was cut off as Naruto shot forward, pushing chakra to his feet as he flung himself to the rooftops.

“Someone’s killing the Uchiha!” he screamed behind him as a group of Kiba-sized chakra signatures were snuffed out.

The wind tore at his face as he ran across the village, desperation fuelling him as the signatures dwindled. He finally reached the edge of the compound; the normally proud flags bearing the Uchiha fans hanging limply in tatters. He threw himself through the entrance and swallowed harshly at the scattered bodies lying discarded around the street. Smoke rose from some of the homes and Naruto had to choke back the bile that rose up.

He shook his head harshly and ran towards the only signatures he could feel; there were two and both were Uchiha. There was another large Uchiha one in the distance near the Police Station but he didn’t have time to go there; he had to focus on the majority he could save. He strained to feel for any foreign signatures but could feel none; no indication of what had done this to the proud Uchiha clan.

He pushed himself harder as the larger signature lunged for the smaller one. He finally saw Itachi shove a kid out of a house and Naruto dove forward, grabbing the kid as Itachi swiped a kunai at the empty air. Naruto looked down to see a shocked and tearful Sasuke; he shoved the kid’s head into his shoulder as he stood so he wouldn’t look round to see the bodies still scattered throughout the street.

“Don’t look, Sasuke,” he muttered beneath his breath. “Help’s on its way.”

The kid was shaking; he complied, but Naruto knew it was more likely he hadn’t heard him and was still in shock.

“Do not interfere, Uzumaki.”

Naruto looked back up with burning eyes.

“What the fuck have you done, Itachi?”

The older Uchiha was still dressed in his ANBU uniform sans his mask. There wasn’t even any blood splatter on his uniform to indicate what he had just done. His dark eyes were blank and Naruto didn’t know if that made this all worse.

“I have proven myself.” Itachi threw out his hands to gesture to the destruction around him. “But I must speak to Sasuke alone. You are standing in the way of this.”

“If you think for a single second I’m going to let you near this child after what you just did to his family, you are insane,” Naruto hissed, holding Sasuke tighter to him.

“I killed the Uchiha clan to prove my power!” Itachi proclaimed, pointing a kunai at them. “Sasuke is the only one left that has the potential to be my opponent.”

Sasuke began to stir as Itachi continued.

“But right now he is too weak...”

Naruto looked down at the boy in his arms and made a decision. He chopped the back of Sasuke’s neck and the boy became a dead weight as he dropped into unconsciousness. He hefted the youngest Uchiha further up into his shoulder.

“What did you do?” Itachi took a menacing step forward, showing his first emotion since Naruto arrived.

“I’m not going to let you sprout whatever shit you were going to come up with to hurt this kid further,” Naruto took a step back as he mentally screamed for that ANBU team. “He’s gone through enough. He doesn’t owe you anything.”

Naruto dropped his gaze as he felt something shift in Itachi’s chakra.

There was no way he would win against Itachi in a straight fight. He had to protect Sasuke and if Itachi had his Sharingan activated, then Naruto couldn’t even meet his eyes. Naruto was just a chunin; Itachi was an ANBU Captain. He just had to last long enough for Kazuya to get that ANBU team.

Itachi said he had killed the Uchiha clan; but the signature he had sensed near the disappearing lights hadn’t been Itachi’s. He hadn’t been here for the whole massacre so Itachi must have killed the others before he came into range.

“Why would you risk yourself for a stranger like this? You know I could cut you down where you stand?”

Naruto still refused to meet Itachi’s eyes.

“No one deserves this, especially not Mikoto’s kid.”

There was flicker in Itachi’s chakra at the mention of his mother before Naruto spoke up again.

“Why, Itachi? It can’t just be about power.” The puzzle pieces just didn’t fit in Naruto’s brain. “If it was then why the civilians? Why the kids?”

“I did this to prove my power. The clan has become weak; I have proved that this night.”

Naruto couldn’t help but feel that Itachi didn’t really believe that.

“Sasuke has to be the one to kill me.”

“That’ll be his choice,” Naruto shot back venomously.

He finally sensed the ANBU team reaching the edge of the compound. He sensed Itachi building up his chakra for something and mentally sent an apology to Sasuke. It was either Itachi’s capture or their lives.

“An ANBU team is on their way. You can either fight me and get caught by them or flee now and leave Sasuke alone.”

Itachi hesitated and Naruto took a chance.

“Your accomplice has already fled the Police Station.”

“I did this alone.”

“We both know you didn’t. You’re working with another Uchiha.”

Itachi fell silent and Naruto felt relief as he sensed Kakashi with the ANBU team. He jolted back at movement from Itachi.

“Your sensing abilities are as great as they are dangerous; for both your opponents and yourself.”

Naruto almost wanted to ask what he meant by that but Itachi vanished. His chakra signature reappeared far from them and Naruto lost track as it left the village. Naruto sank to the floor, still clutching Sasuke, as the adrenaline coursed through him. He let out a shaky breath as he finally loosened his grip on the kid.

Sasuke looked so different to the tiny child that he had given a tomato to in the market. His ashen face was streaked with tears and even in sleep his face was lined with pain and sorrow. Naruto dreaded the kid waking up; the world he would awaken to would not be kind to him. He looked over to the house that Sasuke had been shoved out of and he swallowed a hard lump; Mikoto was dead.

He looked around at the bodies and the sense of wrong pushed down on his shoulders. The Uchiha clan was dead. There should be so many chakra signatures around him; he should have been overwhelmed by the number of people. So many people dead, just like that, by someone who should have loved and protected them.

Who was that other Uchiha though? Naruto had never felt his signature before. From what he’d been able to sense in his peripherals, the other Uchiha had been the one to take out the Police Station. Then why had Itachi insisted that he had done it alone? Was he covering for someone?

There was something that didn’t sit right about any of this, but it was hard to think about it when surrounded by the dead family members of the boy in his arms.

He squeezed his eyes shut as tears began to fall. Maybe if he had been quicker he would have been able to save more of them. He didn’t hear the ANBU team land near him, but he felt their signatures. Kakashi approached and knelt next to him, placing a careful hand on his shoulder. Naruto looked up through blurry eyes to see the impassive dog mask of the ANBU staring back.

“Any other survivors?”

Naruto shook his head and looked back down at Sasuke’s face. The ANBU team moved around him as Kakashi remained next to him.

“Who did this?”

“Itachi,” Naruto managed to choke out. “And another Uchiha; not from the village.”

Kakashi squeezed his shoulder and rose, leaving Naruto sat in the middle of the Uchiha’s cobbled streets, clutching the last Uchiha in his arms.

* * *

Hiruzen rubbed his eyes as his headache persisted.

What a mess.

The Uchiha clan was gone and it was due to one of his own former council members. Hiruzen was not sure the last time he had felt such fury as when young Itachi had come to report on the Uchiha clan’s death. It had been a bit later as the Uchiha had had to avoid Naruto-kun’s sensing which was another issue that had to be dealt with.

There was nothing to be done after the fact; the Uchiha clan was gone and Hiruzen could not bring them back. He could only promise Itachi to keep the cover story that the boy alone had been responsible for the massacre and to keep Sasuke away from Danzō. He could also remove Danzō from the council, dismantle Root and prevent him from being in a position to make this sort of decision ever again.

Hiruzen had grown soft in his old age, depending on his council perhaps too much. That was going to change. Now.

Itachi had suggested he join an organisation called Akatsuki to not only reinforce his image as a criminal but to spy on them for Konoha. Hiruzen was more than aware that he did not deserve the loyalty of a shinobi like Itachi but he was grateful for it nonetheless.

The Uchiha had also warned him of Naruto. The redhead had somehow found himself in the middle of all this and had reported to Team Ro that there had been a second Uchiha present. Itachi had reported that it had been another member of the Akatsuki but had not been able to inform Hiruzen of his identity. It was troubling but there were far larger concerns to address right now.

A knock from his door but before Hiruzen had a chance to answer, Naruto burst in, Hiruzen’s harried secretary following behind. He waved the poor woman off and took the boy in.

Naruto was now eleven, Hiruzen believed; only two years younger than Itachi. He was still dressed in his customary mission gear and Hiruzen absentmindedly noted that the boy was to hand in a report in just a few hours. Some of his long red hair had escaped its braid and stuck haphazardly in all directions; the scar on his face was fading, although it now stuck out against pale, sickly skin. Despite the tears dried on his face, Naruto’s blue eyes shone with determination. Hiruzen couldn’t help but think he looked more and more like Minato with each passing year.

“Naruto-kun, I understand this has been a trying night,” Hiruzen began, watching Naruto’s hands curl into fists. “Thank you for your swift actions in saving Uchiha Sasuke but it is now being handled.”

“Itachi wouldn’t have killed him,” Naruto frowned, coming to stand in front of Hiruzen’s desk. “I didn’t save anybody.”

Hiruzen grimaced. The boy was taking this harder than he thought.

“I want to talk to you about what’s happening to Sasuke now.”

“There is currently a retrieval and identification mission underway to compile a list of the dead,” Hiruzen sighed. “Once this is done, a funeral will be held and all assets and powers of the Uchiha clan will transfer to Sasuke. He will not be able to take the Clan Head seat until he reaches chunin so the status of the Uchiha clan has been suspended until that time.”

“I don’t care about all that power bullshit,” Naruto snapped. “I want to know what is going to happen to the eight year old child in the hospital right now.”

“There are many families in Konoha who would petition to take Sasuke-kun in,” Hiruzen started but Naruto cut him off.

“They are all fucking vultures! They don’t care about Sasuke; they’ll just want ‘the Last Uchiha’.”

The redhead spat out the last phrase with disgust.

“Either way,” Hiruzen continued. “Sasuke won’t be going to anyone. He also won’t be going to the orphanage. His status as the Last Uchiha would make him going to any one family too disruptive to the power balance within the village. He will be living on his own.”

This statement almost seemed to horrify Naruto more than the power-hungry families.

“Jiji, he can’t live on his own!”

Hiruzen sighed.

“He must. There are no living family members and no one can take him in.”

“Why can’t he live with me?”

“Naruto-kun, you cannot get preferential treatment. You hardly know the boy; I know tonight has hit you hard but I’m afraid Sasuke has to fend for himself. He has the wealth and resources of the Uchiha clan behind him; he’ll be okay.”

“He just lost his whole family; money won’t mean anything to him,” Naruto mouth wobbled. “I owe his mother; I can’t just let him survive on his own.”

Hiruzen levelled his gaze at the boy.

“What about moving him in next door to me? Into 9B? There’s no way in fuck he would be moving back into the Uchiha compound so he’d have to find somewhere anyway, right?”

“What happened to the couple living next to you?”

“Apparently we’re not very good neighbours,” Naruto shrugged. “Noise complaints and stuff; but if Sasuke moves in there, Kaz and I can check on him; make sure he eats, has clean clothes, pays his bills.”

Hiruzen considered his proposal. Technically, the Uchiha would be living on his own; he would just have friendly neighbours. He also had a feeling that no matter where Sasuke was moved to, Naruto would track him down and look after him anyway.

“That should be acceptable; however, you must be prepared to accept that Sasuke might not want your help.”

Naruto nodded.

“I know, but I have to try.”

“And Naruto? Everything you saw and felt tonight, including the intruder, is now an S-rank secret,” Hiruzen ordered. “No one must know that Itachi did not act alone; you must stick to the story that Itachi told you. He did it alone and for power. Do you understand?”

“Wait, what?” Naruto stared at him in confusion. “But he didn’t; the other Uchiha was the one to take out the Police Force. I’m also pretty sure he took out some of the kids too but I could be wrong as I had only just arrived back in the village then. I have no idea what the ratio was for the Massacre but it wasn’t all Itachi.”

“Regardless, you cannot tell anyone about this other Uchiha,” Hiruzen tried to make it clear but Naruto continued.

“And why now? Why tonight? Plus his motive is sketchy at best; he did it for power? He said that the clan had weakened but I give out missions and they haven’t; there has just been a decline in trust between the village and the clan over recent years. Not only that, but in terms of power, the civilians and the kids shouldn’t have come into it-”

“Naruto!”

The boy shut his mouth and gaped back at Hiruzen.

“You are a chunin barely out of your first year! You do not have the authorisation to take this matter any further than I allow you to!” Hiruzen snapped. “I know I have been lenient with you, but in this matter you will follow your Hokage’s orders. You will tell no one of the true events of tonight; you will tell anyone who asks that it was Itachi alone and he did it for the sake of power. You will not pry any further. Is that clear?”

“What about Sasuke?” Naruto asked stubbornly. “He deserves to know the truth.”

“No one. Am. I. Clear.”

“Yes, Hokage-sama.”

Hiruzen nodded his head curtly at the redhead, relieved to finally get this through his skull. It was to protect him; the less he knew about this the better and he already knew too much as it was. The boy would forgive him. Naruto was well practiced in the art of keeping S-rank secrets.

* * *

Genma stood beside Raidō as the shinobi around them murmured between themselves. It was the very early morning and he tried to suppress a yawn, resting his head on Raidō’s warm shoulder.

“Hey, do we know what this is about?”

Anko and Kurenai slipped in next to them, peering over the people in front of them to see the Hokage’s empty desk. Genma shook his head as a yawn finally escaped.

“Nope, but it must be something big if it was this last minute.”

Kurenai let out a yawn of her own and Genma peered sleepily over at her.

“Late night?”

“Just got back late last night from a mission with your boys,” she stretched her hands above her head. “We’re handing in our mission report in a couple hours.”

“I wonder where the Uchiha are,” Raidō commented. “If the meeting is that important, some of the Police Force should be here.”

Genma lifted his head to look around. His friend had a point; there was not a single Uchiha in sight. Usually they were all over this kind of thing.

The Hokage entered through a side door and the shinobi in the room collectively stood to attention. Genma narrowed his eyes as Naruto snuck in after the Hokage; as their village leader stood in front of his desk, Naruto stood to his right and behind the desk.

Naruto didn’t look good. He obviously hadn’t gotten changed from his mission the previous night and his hair was in a state. His face was pale and he appeared not to have slept; dread pooled in Genma’s gut as the Hokage began to speak.

“Thank you for gathering so quickly; I have grave news that will impact Konoha and I need the people in this room to help the village get back on its feet.”

The Hokage seemed to age in front of their eyes.

“Last night, Uchiha Itachi attacked and slaughtered the Uchiha clan. There was one survivor; Uchiha Sasuke, who is in his first year at the academy. He is recovering at the hospital.”

A dead weight dropped in the room and Genma froze. The entire clan? There was no way; there was no way that a whole clan could just be gone overnight.

“We now have to fill the void left behind by the Uchiha Police Force; we will be setting up a new recruitment system but until we get that up and running I need you to fill this role. Over the next month, you will be set up on rotations for patrols around the village while the Mission Assignment Desk sorts through the Uchiha’s paperwork and organises the new Police Force.”

Genma’s eyes snapped to Naruto; the redhead looked faintly sick at the thought and Genma couldn’t help but feel the same.

“I will be making the announcement to the rest of the village tomorrow morning, but I wanted to inform you to your new roles right away. You will be summoned to the Desk to be handed your rota within the next forty-eight hours. The funeral will be held at the end of the week, after the bodies can be identified and prepared. You are all dismissed.”

No one moved for several minutes.

Genma looked up as he felt a hand on his arm. Raidō gestured with his head and they began to exit. Genma abruptly halted and turned, spotting Naruto. The redhead was slumped was he shuffled forward, half-heartedly dodging around the much taller shinobi. Genma grabbed onto Raidō’s hand and dragged him back into the room until they reached the kid.

Naruto looked even more pitiful up close. Genma reached with his free hand and grasped his shoulder firmly, guiding the boy out of the room. Raidō quickly caught on and together they shielded Naruto from the surrounding crowd.

They navigated the halls and finally came to the open air. Genma released Raidō’s hand and put his hand on Naruto’s other shoulder. He forced the boy to meet his eyes; Naruto’s blue eyes were glassy with tears and Genma pulled him into a tight hug.

“How much did you see?”

Naruto was quiet for a moment.

“I got there too late,” he sniffled. “I felt them dying when I got back but by the time I got there, only Sasuke was left.”

Genma squeezed him tighter. The moment he had seen his student he had dreaded this; it was like the Hyūga Affair all over again. Naruto had a great gift and he was always trying to use it to help others; but this time, it might have been too much for him. Genma couldn’t imagine being able to feel people dying around him. It was bad enough just seeing it.

“There were just so many bodies, Sensei. I recognised so many of them; I’ve seen them around the village.”

“I’m so sorry, Naruto.”

“The village will never be the same,” Raidō spoke up and Genma smiled half-heartedly at him.

Naruto took a deep breath and pushed away from Genma. He roughly wiped his eyes and sighed.

“I’ve got to go. I have to get a shower before going back to the office.”

“Naruto, maybe you should take the day off,” Genma tried to gently suggest. “This isn’t something you can just brush off. Everyone is going to take it hard and they weren’t there to see it.”

“I don’t have time,” Naruto shook his head. “It’s all hands on deck. We have to go to the Police Station and organise the rotas and, oh no, the Registry, Finance, all those departments will have to be updated and normal missions have keep going too...”

“Breathe, Naruto-kun.”

Naruto grimaced in an attempt at a smile towards Raidō.

“Thanks Genma-sensei, Raidō-san. I’ll see you when you come to get your rotas.”

Naruto _shunshined_ away and Genma sighed, staring at the spot his student had disappeared. The sun began to peak over the village, shining a cold orange light through the quiet streets. The village already seemed emptier.

* * *

Sasuke stood in the empty flat, keys dangling from his limp hands. He finally been released from the hospital an hour ago and the Hokage had told him he would be moving in here. It had been two days since that night and the memories were still fresh in Sasuke’s mind.

He let go of the keys and they dropped to the varnished, wooden floor with an echoing clank. He couldn’t bear to be in here anymore; he went for the window and slammed it open. He climbed out and made his way to the roof. Finally reaching the top he sat there, the cool evening air moving through his thin t-shirt.

His clan was gone; his family was gone. If he went to the compound right now there would be no one there to greet him, no one there to smile at him, wish him a good night. His mother wouldn’t be there to tell him off for being late; his father wouldn’t be sitting in his office. They never would be again. He was totally alone and it was all because of Itachi-nii.

Turmoil churned in his gut at the thought of his brother. When he’d entered their home to find his brother standing over his parents’ bodies, his brain had frozen. There had been no thoughts, no comprehension, no understanding. He just couldn’t wrap his head around the fact that his big brother could have done something like that. Then Itachi had lunged for him and Sasuke’s brain had remained frozen, still unable to react.

Someone else had arrived then and Sasuke couldn’t remember what happened after that. He must have blacked out because he’d woken up in the hospital some time later. Some guy with pink eyes had been there to check him over; the Hokage had arrived much later to tell him what had happened.

The Hokage said that Itachi had done it to prove his power; that Itachi had been the one to kill Shisui last year. The memory of his brother lunging for him with a kunai made it easier to believe but it didn’t fit with the Itachi that Sasuke knew.

But did Sasuke even know Itachi anymore? Itachi had been so busy with ANBU and his missions that Sasuke had barely seen him in recent years. Who knows what his brother had been up to in that time?

Sasuke was still alone. He still had no family, no clan, no home; and it was all because of Itachi.

“Room up there for one more?”

He flinched as a head popped up over the edge of the roof. The older boy smiled at him as he clambered onto the roof, his orange jacket flowing with the night breeze. His long red hair hung loose around his shoulders and a large scar marred the left side of his face. The boy dumped a blanket onto Sasuke’s shoulders and took a seat next to him. Sasuke frowned as he stared into his face; he looked familiar.

“I’m your neighbour from 9A, Uzumaki Naruto,” the older boy shrugged. “I’ve got a brother in your class, Rio? Loud blond kid?”

Sasuke stared at him; his voice was familiar too.

“I know you.”

Uzumaki sighed and nodded.

“I didn’t know if you would remember.”

“You were there that night,” Sasuke whispered. “You faced _him_.”

“I was there,” Uzumaki confirmed. “I wouldn’t call what I did facing him. I just stalled him until the ANBU arrived.”

“Why were you there? How did you know something was happening? Why did no one else notice?” Sasuke demanded.

Uzumaki let out a heavier sigh and leaned back on his hands, staring at the night sky.

“You’ve heard of chakra sensing in the academy, right?”

Sasuke frowned.

“Yeah, the Nidaime was famous for it. What does that have to do with anything?”

“I was born with the ability; I’m the only one in the village who has it. I came home from a mission that night and tried to find Rio. Instead I felt chakra signatures disappearing in the Uchiha compound; I sent my friend, Kazuya, to alert the ANBU while I headed straight for you.”

Sasuke considered his words.

“It’s not a coincidence that the Hokage put me in the flat next to yours, is it?”

“No, it isn’t,” Uzumaki looked back down to Sasuke. “I asked the Hokage to do it.”

“Why?” Sasuke snapped, shoving the blanket off him. “You don’t even know me. You think just because you were there that night you have the right to make decisions for me?”

“No, Sasuke, I asked the Hokage to do it because I know what you’re going through. I know what you’re about to go through and I want to help you. I don’t want you to struggle like I have.”

“What, your brother killed your clan?” Sasuke huffed, hugging his knees to his chest.

“I lost my whole family in one night,” Uzumaki simply said, and Sasuke snapped his head round to stare at the older boy.

“It was during the Kyūbi attack; the same night that my sensing ability activated. My parents were killed in the attack and I had to feel their chakra leave this world. I woke up in the hospital and they were gone.”

Sasuke couldn’t imagine that; feeling his parents dying. It was bad enough seeing their bodies after the fact.

“I’ve never told anyone that so I’ll ask you to keep it to yourself; especially from Rio.”

He nodded as Uzumaki continued.

“What people don’t realise is when you lose your parents; you lose way more than that. My godparents, my adoptive aunts and uncles, even my house and all my possessions. My entire world crashed down around me overnight; I had to build everything over from scratch. Thankfully, Rio was born that night so he kept me sane in my new life.”

Uzumaki smiled, but his expression clouded.

“You’re eight; you’ve never lived alone; you’ve never had to fend for yourself. You’ve always had your family there for you; but now you don’t. I don’t want you to have to fend for yourself, to have to learn everything the hard way, like I did. I can tell you that it’s no fun.”

Conflicting emotions churned in Sasuke’s gut. He felt insulted that this relative stranger thought he was incapable of looking after himself but the way that Uzumaki spoke...this wasn’t pity or doubt. Uzumaki genuinely believed what he was saying.

“We once we missed an electric bill when we first became genin. We were still learning how bills worked. Kazuya took Rio for a surprise sleepover at the Inuzuka’s while I had to beg the electricity company to turn our heating back on for the two days before we could get enough D-ranks to pay the bill. It was in the dead of winter so the flat was absolutely freezing.”

Sasuke stared at Uzumaki in horror before the older boy chuckled.

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m very proud of how far we’ve come. Rio is growing up into a great kid.” His smiled faded. “It’s a lot though. You constantly have to be thinking and balancing: rent, bills, groceries, appointments, academy supplies, missions, training, errands, chores. I don’t know where I’d be without Kazuya.”

Sasuke considered his words. It really did sound like a lot. Would he have to do all that now? Did his mother do all that for him before?

“But we had to learn all this the hard way.” Uzumaki picked up the blanket and placed back around Sasuke’s shoulders. “It would have been so much easier if we had someone there to tell us how it all worked whenever we needed it. I want to be that person for you.”

Sasuke clutched the blanket tighter to him.

“I also want to do it for your mother.”

“You knew Kaa-san?” Sasuke demanded, the blanket slipping slightly.

“We’ve met before, you know,” Uzumaki remarked. “You were about four years old and had dropped an onion at the market. You were with Mikoto-san and she told me how much you liked tomatoes. I bought you one and your little face just lit up like a lantern at the Rinne Festival.”

Sasuke tried to remember but the memories were murky.

“I ran into your mother a lot on D-ranks to the market. She was amazing; no matter how many questions I asked her, she always answered them all. She was also the one to teach us the best way to get blood out of clothing which I can tell you saved us countless times on laundry.”

Uzumaki pulled a small, well-worn notebook out of his jacket pocket. He handed it over and Sasuke took it, swallowing a lump as he read the cover. Scrawled in an academy student’s handwriting was ‘Mikoto-san’s Secrets to Life’. Opening it, he flicked through the book and took in the pages and pages of notes. He recognised some of these recipes; Kaa-san had made that tomato soup for him they day he started the academy.

“Kazuya and I wrote down every bit of advice she ever gave us.” Uzumaki stood and stretched his arms above his head. “That’s yours now; Mikoto-san would want you to have it.”

Sasuke closed the book and held it close to his chest.

“I’m not here to force you to accept my help, Sasuke; I’m just here to let you know our door is always open to you. If you need anything, any help or advice, I promise I’ll always be there for you.”

Uzumaki walked to the edge of the roof.

“Kazuya makes a great breakfast; we’ve got some tomatoes too if you feel like joining us.”

The older boy hopped over the edge of the roof and Sasuke watched him go, still clutching the notebook in his arms. A sharp gust blew across the roof and Sasuke pulled the blanket closer around himself.

* * *

Sasuke hesitated in front of the door, the blanket folded up in his arms. Finally, he reached up and knocked. There was a few seconds of muffled thumps before the door was wrenched open. Uzumaki grinned at him from the doorway.

“Morning, Sasuke! Come on in, Kazuya has just finished cooking.”

Sasuke took off his sandals and followed the older boy inside. The flat was cluttered but cosy, with little notes and pictures scattered around. A line of plants were under the large window in the back wall, the bookcases in the corners of the room were overflowing with scrolls and neither of the multicoloured rugs matched. It had a very different sort of feel to his house back in the Uchiha compound; it was packed and colourful and somehow seemed to perfectly fit the ginning redhead that was ushering him to the table.

“This is Arai Kazuya and you know Rio.”

Sasuke awkwardly sat the kitchen table, putting the blanket on his lap and staring across at Rio as the blond inhaled the last of his omurice. He had seen the younger Uzumaki in his class but they had never really spoken; Sasuke kept to himself while the Uzumaki stuck to his group of Inuzuka, Nara and Akimichi. He looked over to the slumped figure next to the blond to see the brunet that was in his hospital room after _that night_.

Uzumaki placed a plate in front of him and Sasuke felt his stomach rumble at the sight of the omurice and fried tomatoes.

“Thank you,” he said quietly, picking up his chopsticks.

The younger Uzumaki picked up his plate and utensils and dropped them into the sink.

“I’m heading over to Kiba’s. The litter was finally born last night and I’m going to help look after them.”

“So Kiba’s finally going to get his own dog, huh?” Uzumaki grinned over a steaming mug.

“Yup!”

As the blond bounced out the door, Arai finally raised his head.

“Get me some coffee, Aka-chan.”

“You’ve already had two.”

“I’ll need at least another three to cope with today.”

Uzumaki rolled his eyes but went over to grab another steaming mug. Sasuke slowly began to eat the rice as Uzumaki sat across from him. He stared as Uzumaki took a sip of his own tea; he was just wearing a black t-shirt today.

Swirling tattoos ran up his left arm on top of thick straight lines that ran all the way to his fingertips. Symbols and kanji were scattered around seemingly at random and Sasuke couldn’t recognise any of them.

“Curious, huh?”

Sasuke startled at Uzumaki’s voice.

“Sorry, Uzumaki-san.”

“Naruto, please,” he lifted the sleeve of his t-shirt and Sasuke could see the tattoo ran up all the way to the top of his shoulder. “This happened during the Kyūbi attack too. Got hit by rubble and the Kyūbu’s chakra corrupted my pathways. Had to get it sealed off so it didn’t spread to the rest of my body; can’t use chakra in this arm anymore.”

Arai shot the redhead a sharp look over his coffee but remained quiet. Naruto dropped the sleeve and grinned wryly.

“It happened a long time ago; I’d say I’ve adjusted pretty well. Got some pretty cool tattoos out of it too.”

Naruto’s grin dropped and he stood, going to gather some papers from the coffee table.

“Sasuke, we’ve identified the bodies and prepared them for burial.” He placed the papers on the kitchen table. “It’s your family so I spoke to the Hokage and you get the final say on the funeral arrangements.”

“Funeral?” Sasuke dropped his chopsticks as his appetite left him.

“There’s not a single person in the village that didn’t lose someone they know that night,” Naruto grimaced. “There’s going to be a village-wide funeral held in a couple days but I wanted to talk to you about it first.”

“Why you?”

“I work at the Mission Assignment Desk; I’m working with the Public Relations Office to arrange missions to organise it. I’m also the only one at the Desk who can focus on this full-time right now since I’m not shared out to another department. The _fūinjutsu_ division isn’t full-time.”

“What if I’d refused your help?”

“Then I would have sent a hawk and you would have done this in one of the private rooms at the administration offices with a chunin from Public Relations. I meant it when I said I wouldn’t push anything on you.”

Sasuke stared down at the papers before finally nodding. As they began to work through the documents, Sasuke couldn’t help but feel a tiny glow of gratitude towards this boy. The thought of having to sort through this by himself made him feel physically sick.

Maybe he would take Naruto up on his offer for help every now and then.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So while the Uchiha Massacre still took place and Sasuke is still affected by it, Naruto arrived in time to stop Itachi from using his Mangekyou Sharingan, giving his big 'hatred and work alone' speech and subsequently traumatizing Sasuke for life like he did in canon. What this will do to Sasuke and the choices he makes in the future remains to be seen...


	19. Can I Live Without You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Sasuke tries to cope, Kakashi makes a promise and the Uzumaki clan gains a new member

Sasuke frowned at the page in front of him; in which country was the majority of the Second Shinobi War fought in? He was sure that Iruka-sensei had mentioned it at some point but he couldn’t remember when. They had been fighting Iwa and Suna, he knew that at least, but where were the main battles? He knew it had something to do with a guy called Hanzō who fought the Sannin a bunch of times.

“History or geography?”

Sasuke looked up at Rio opposite him. The blond had joined him a while ago at the kitchen table but hadn’t said anything. It had been a few weeks since the funeral and while he felt more comfortable around Naruto and Kazuya, it was still a bit awkward around the youngest Uzumaki. They didn’t acknowledge each other at the academy and here, Naruto or Kazuya usually led the conversations.

Naruto had helped him retrieved some of his stuff from the compound so he at least had some clothes and furniture now. The apartment still felt too big, too empty, so whenever they offered to let Sasuke come over here, he leapt at the chance. He was still getting the hang of cooking his own meals and Kazuya had taken to just adding his laundry to their pile.

The Uzumaki household was very different to his childhood home.

Kaa-san had always kept the clan house clean, organised, and running smoothly; it had also always been quiet. With his father around, they were expected to act like a proper Clan Head’s family. There had been no pranks, no running around, no chaos. They had each had their roles and they were expected to excel within them. Sasuke had expectations to meet, even though he felt like he never really met any of them.

The Uzumaki’s were chaos; all on different schedules and all taking up roles as and when needed. There was always noise in the flat from one source or another and there was always a project going on. It was busy, with no expectations other than to be yourself. He had felt lost at first, with no clear, defined rules to follow but he was slowly managing to get used to it.

“History,” he answered gruffly. “The homework from Tuesday.”

“The Second War stuff? I’ll trade you that for this geography homework. How am I supposed to know what country Tanigakure is in?”

Sasuke finished that yesterday. There was a part of him that was tempted to take Rio up on that offer but pride held his tongue. He should be able to do his own homework; he’s the last of his clan. He has to uphold their reputation now that they’re gone.

“Hey, what country is Tanigakure in?”

Sasuke frowned at the blond.

“Come on, Sasuke!” Rio plopped his chin on the table as his violet eyes stared pathetically at Sasuke. “You’re the top of our class; you gotta know the answer.”

Sasuke stared back at Rio, unimpressed.

“Doesn’t your brother know the entire Elemental Nations geography off the top of his head?” He sat back in his chair. “That’s half his job.”

“And what, am I supposed to just absorb that knowledge through living with him?” Rio slumped back in his own chair dramatically. “He does paperwork, it’s boring. It’s not something I ask him about.”

Sasuke rolled his eyes.

“The Land of Rivers,” he grudgingly answered.

Rio grinned brightly and scribbled the answer down. He looked like Naruto when he smiled like that; it was a little bit different though. Naruto’s had an undertone of warmth but wasn’t quite as bright, as if it was dimmed by something behind his eyes that people couldn’t see.

“What about you? What’s the question?”

Sasuke kept quiet. Rio may not have been at the bottom of the class but he was still lower than him in the class rankings.

“I’m top of the class in history, you know.”

Sasuke narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

“I swear!” He held up his hands. “I even beat Sakura-chan last time! My grades get pulled down by maths and geography and stuff.”

He considered Rio for a long moment, glancing down the blank space before sighing.

“The main country the Second Shinobi War was fought in.”

“Oh, Ame,” Rio replied immediately. “Yeah, although we fought Iwa and Suna a lot of the fighting were in the minor countries. Ame got slammed with a lot of the fighting, especially since they had Hanzō who was a heavy-weight like the Sannin; although they actually lost that fight. We actually had some skirmishes in the Land of Rivers with Suna but no one really mentions that since so much went on in Ame. They got pretty mad that we fought on their lands so we had to settle after the war with some trade agreements, but that worked out for both sides.”

Sasuke stared at Rio in shock.

“How the fuck do you know that? The Land of Rivers wasn’t mentioned at all in class.”

“I spent a lot of time around the Hokage growing up,” Rio shrugged casually, putting his arms behind his head. “He used to babysit me. He would tell me stories about the wars and the effects of them on Konoha while he did his paperwork.”

“Why would he watch you?”

“Nii-san couldn’t watch me while he was at the academy, so Hokage-jiji used to watch me in his office before we met the Inuzuka. I used to go see him all the time until I started the academy.”

Sasuke let out a quiet ‘huh’ and wrote the answer neatly in the blank space. Rio had always sat at the back of the class with the slackers; Nara just slept, Akimichi just ate and Inuzuka was just dumb. All three were at the bottom of the class rankings and appeared to have no intentions to trying to raise their grades. Sasuke had thought that the youngest Uzumaki was the same, even if his grades made it to roughly the middle of the class.

There was more to Rio than he thought; just like the rest of his weird family. The contrast between Sasuke’s life before and his life now almost made things easier to handle; even as he felt the grief lurking in the back of his mind, ready to crush him at any moment.

* * *

Naruto slid into his seat beside Hana, grinning as he closed his eyes and inhaled the delicious scents coming off the dishes in front of him. He loved team dinners; they always made all their favourites and it was a whole night off from worrying about their lives. He opened his eyes and shrugged off his jacket, hanging it on the back of his chair as he secured his hair into a ponytail. Eating with hair in his way was annoying.

“So where are the kids tonight?” Genma smiled as he took out the senbon from his mouth and popped it onto the table. “You’ve got the two now, right?”

“It’s only been a couple months since Sasuke came to stay next door,” Naruto frowned. “Rio went to the Inuzuka but Sasuke isn’t close enough to anyone for that.”

“He said he wanted to go through some of his clan’s stuff tonight so I made him some tomato soup and told him where to find us if he needs us,” Kazuya added.

“He’ll want to be on his own for that anyway,” Naruto dropped his gaze to the table.

That kind of thing was private.

“How is he doing?” Hana spoke up.

“How would you be doing if you lost your clan?”

Hana didn’t answer but her face went pale.

“Come on guys, Sasuke is tough,” Naruto continued. “He might not be okay now but he will be with time and a bit of help. Now let’s eat; he’d hate it if he knew we were talking about him.”

“Yeah, let’s talk about the other kids,” Kazuya grinned as he dumped some rice onto his plate. “Hana, how are the puppies?”

She hesitated but appeared to shake something off.

“They’re fine.” She took some barbecue pork. “Finally weaned off their mother and a pup has picked Kiba. Turned out to be the runt too; he named him Akamaru. He won’t be able to take him to the academy until their second year though.”

Naruto smiled as he took some barbecue for himself. Kiba had been desperate for a dog of his own for ages; he would look forward to when the kid brought the puppy around to their flat in the near future.

“How are they doing in the academy?” Genma pointed a chopstick in their direction. “It’s been nine months; more than enough time for them to cause as much trouble as you guys did.”

Kazuya rolled his eyes.

“We hardly caused trouble, Genma-sensei. Most would see graduating early as an achievement, not as a trouble-making scheme as everyone seems to think. Besides, since we ended the war with Kumo they can’t move up a year even if they tried. The graduation age was set to a minimum of eleven, remember?”

“Rio and Sasuke are doing well,” Naruto added fondly. “Sasuke is top of his class and Rio is keeping up. He even got full marks on the last history test they had!”

“I wish I could say the same for Kiba,” Hana groaned. “Kaa-san has to fight him to get any progress reports and they aren’t good.”

“We knew before he started that studying wouldn’t be a strong point,” Kazuya pointed out. “His grades will shoot up next year once they get stuck into the more practical parts of the curriculum.”

Hana stuffed another piece of meat into her mouth, muffling her next groan.

“Do they still segregate the girls for kunoichi classes?”

“As far as I know,” Genma-sensei nodded, twirling some noodles around his chopstick. “I think it’s still in second and third year electives.”

“I think it’s still completely unfair,” the brunet huffed. “I would have killed to learn how to sew in the academy; there’s so much I would have loved to learn that they didn’t teach the boys.”

“You think you had it rough?” Hana snapped back. “I had to learn flower-arranging while you guys got to learn trap-making from a former hunter-nin. How is that fair?”

“Plus where is the first aid?” Kazuya threw up his hands; Naruto snapped out to grab the egg that had been flung from the other boy’s chopsticks. “The basic medical training? Nowhere in the curriculum is it to be found.”

Naruto exchanged a weary look with Genma-sensei as the other two worked themselves up. It was an old argument that wasn’t even an argument considering that they agreed on the subject. Kazuya had been listing the failings of the academy since the day he was enrolled there and the moment Hana had found out she had to take kunoichi lessons, she had joined in.

Naruto also agreed with them but he kept quiet; it was dumb that boys and girls had to have different lessons for a part of the academy. Hana had been teaching them the stuff she had learnt since they had graduated and the pair of them had used it so much. Kazuya, in particular, had managed to incorporate most of it into his medical and poison training. They said that the girls had to learn these skills for infiltration missions but Naruto could see no reason boys could not be sent on these same missions. They were ninja; they should be able to disguise as either gender and be undetected. That was the point of their training.

He had brought it up to Hijiri at the Desk but the other chunin had pointed out that a wig and make-up would only hold up for a few hours and a _henge_ wasn’t suitable for the long-term. There currently was no viable disguise method for long-term infiltration as the opposite gender.

“Come on, guys,” Genma-sensei finally spoke up as Kazuya and Hana continued to vent. “You’ve been complaining about this for years. Leave it for tonight; it’ll still be a problem tomorrow.”

As Kazuya and Hana reluctantly left the topic alone, moving onto the much safer discussion of Hana’s veterinarian training, Naruto’s thoughts remained stuck. There must be a way to create a long-term _henge_ that couldn’t be dispelled; it can’t be that hard. Surely there would be a seal or something that would help; he had one that changed his hair but that couldn’t be removed once applied. There had to be an in-between.

He had a couple of rare days off coming up. It wouldn’t hurt to just have a look at his scrolls; just to see if it was possible.

* * *

Kazuya trekked to Training Ground Five in search of his friend. Naruto had been absent since the team dinner three weeks ago and he had no idea what the redhead was up to. He saw the other boy for meals and that was pretty much it; he knew it was _fūinjutsu_ related though. He had seen the same pattern for four years now. Rio also knew what was up but poor Sasuke had been blindsided.

He just didn’t know _what_ Naruto was cooking up; could be anything from another type of storage seal to something that could wipe out a village. You never knew with him. He finally spotted a head of long red hair in the middle of the training ground and he called out.

“Hey, Aka-chan. Where the fuck have you been? Poor Sasuke has forgotten what you look like.”

He missed a step as a female voice answered back.

“Sasuke hasn’t forgotten shit; I went food shopping with him two days ago.”

Kazuya stopped a few metres away as the redhead turned around. He was faced by a girl a few years younger than him; long straight red hair hung around a tanned face with high cheekbones and bright blue eyes. A long scar marred the left side of her face and Kazuya narrowed his eyes.

“Naruto?”

The girl rolled her eyes as she turned, picking up the familiar orange jacket from where it had been placed on the ground. She shrugged it on over the black t-shirt.

“Duh. Who else would it be?”

“Last I checked the Naruto I know was missing half a chromosome.”

She shot him a confused look before a familiar expression crossed her face. Kazuya knew that look; his friend just had a bad idea.

“Hey, can you punch me in the face?”

“Why...?”

“I need to prove that this _henge_ will stay in place and my seal works.”

“That literally explains nothing.”

Naruto sighs as if Kazuya should be able to read her mind and it was all his fault that she hadn’t explained anything. Should he still be referring to her as a she, if it was his male friend under the _henge_?

“The stuff you guys were saying at the team dinner got me thinking; I want to create a way for both genders to be able to go on any infiltration mission in a way that wouldn’t dispel. So if figured the best way to do that was to build on the _henge_ and use _fūinjutsu_ to make sure that it stuck.”

Kazuya nodded along.

“The best part is that with the _henge_ I’m not actually copying anyone’s appearance; it’s just me as a girl. So for anyone using this technique, they won’t be busted for copying since it will be their own form.”

“So what’re you going to call it? _Oiroke no Jutsu_ or something dumb like that?” Kazuya joked.

Naruto shot him a strange look.

“No? I was thinking more along the lines of _Seitenkan_?”

Kazuya nodded before he moved on something that had been pressing on his mind.

“So is it solid?”

“Punch me and find out?”

“That can’t be the only way to find out.”

Naruto was about to reply when a voice shouted out from behind them.

“Hey, guys. I heard you two were around here; what are you up to?” 

Genma-sensei came up to them, waving cheerfully. He stopped next to Kazuya and he smirked as he waited for their sensei to detect the difference. It could be hard to notice since Naruto had long hair even in his regular male form and the orange jacket covered up his frame.

“Testing out a new seal.”

“Of course you are,” Genma grinned back. “When are you not?”

Kazuya waited patiently as Genma looked at Naruto, his grin dropping as he stared for a long moment.

“Is there something different about you?”

“I’m a girl.”

“You weren’t always a girl.”

“Nope.”

“Okay.”

Kazuya sighed.

“Naruto figured out a way around the gender segregation for missions. It means that both males and females can go on all missions.” Something clicked. “Which means that the girls don’t have to be separated out in the academy anymore; everyone can get taught everything equally.”

“Seriously?” Genma-sensei looked impressed.

“It was a simple solution in the end,” Naruto shrugged, pulling up his non-brace sleeve to show a seal stuck onto his forearm. “This seal keeps the _henge_ from dispelling no matter what; the _henge_ stops when the seal comes off. The only drawback is that you can only switch to your opposite gender, it doesn’t work if you’re copying another’s appearance.”

Their sensei beamed at him.

“This is amazing, Naruto! This will have major implications for both future education and missions. You might have just changed infiltration missions as we know it.”

Naruto tore the seal off his arm and was surrounded by a puff of smoke, reverting back to his male form.

“Kazuya and Hana will have to find a new topic to argue about,” he grinned back at him.

Kazuya stared at his friend in awe; Naruto never failed to amaze him.

“However,” Genma grabbed his and Naruto’s shoulders. “Can you see how this seal might be abused?”

Kazuya shared a look with Naruto. Abused? Did he mean it could get stolen by another village?

“You two really don’t see a potential issue with this?”

“No?”

“It could get stolen?”

Genma-sensei sighed and started to guide them out of the training ground.

“I guess it’s time for your sex and gender education. A bit early for you, Naruto, but necessary if you’re going to be changing into a girl every so often.”

“Wait, I thought we already had that?” Kazuya shot out, dragging his feet.

“When you graduate the academy, you get a talk about sexual violence before you leave the village on missions, yes,” Genma-sensei nodded. “This one is a bit different; normally, your family or clan would teach this to you once you hit puberty but since you don’t have either, it’s up to me as your sensei.”

“But I don’t care about girls!” Kazuya shot out desperately. “Plus, I already know all the anatomy and stuff!”

“Then I’ll teach you about boys; plus there’s more to relationships than just the anatomy, Kazuya. You know that.”

Kazuya looked frantically over at Naruto to see if he’d come up with a way out of this inevitably embarrassing conversation. The redhead shrugged back at him; absolutely useless.

“We’ll have to give this talk to Rio and Sasuke someday,” said Naruto. “We’ll have to hear it at some point.”

Kazuya let out a groan as Genma-sensei began his ‘talk’, still dragging them out of the training ground.

* * *

“Thank you for your service over the past ten years. I relieve you of your duty as an ANBU captain; you are to return to the standard forces as an elite jounin.”

Kakashi stared at the ground in front of the Hokage’s feet. He should have been expecting this; while he may have done good work with the ROOT operation years ago, his recent failure with Itachi could not be overlooked.

If only he had been able to steer Itachi towards a better path when he had been his subordinate. If only he had been a better influence on the kid.

“Kakashi-kun.”

He lifted his gaze to see the Hokage holding out his hand. He dutifully reached out and took his hand, remaining in his knelt position in front of his leader. The Hokage smiled kindly down at him.

“You have given so much to this village. This is not a punishment; this is gratitude. You are free from the restrictions of ANBU. In fact, I believe there is a birthday boy who would love to see you today.”

Kakashi blinked. It was Rio’s birthday today. He had missed Naruto’s five days ago and he would have missed Rio’s too. How long had it been since he had been in the village for their birthdays? It can’t have been long after Naruto graduated the academy. Had he really been avoiding them for so long? It felt like the time had passed in the blink of an eye. It had been easy to just take mission after mission without thinking.

A part of Kakashi also had to admit that the longer he went without seeing them, and the more that guilt built up, the more he _wanted_ to avoid them. He just didn’t want to deal with the guilt and shame; he knew how disappointed Minato-sensei would be in him. It was easier to avoid them, even if it made that horrible pit in his gut deepen and darken with each passing day.

He let go of the Hokage’s hand and stood to his full height. He bowed low.

“Thank you, Hokage-sama.”

“You may go.”

Kakashi took a step back and _shunshined_ away. He reappeared in his empty apartment, letting out a heavy sigh. He pulled off his _tanto_ from his back and placed it against the wall beside his weapons chest. He shucked off his ANBU armour and chucked it harshly in the direction of his wardrobe.

His whole career was gone. He had to start over again in the regular forces; no more assassinations, no more travelling for months on end, no more high-risk missions. No more using ANBU as an excuse to avoid everything else in his life. At least Gai will be happy.

He stepped forward and pulled his sleeveless shirt over his head, taking a moment to breathe without his mask covering his face. He grabbed another shirt from his closet and pulled it on, the mask attached and the sleeves hiding his tattoo. He shrugged on his green jounin vest next, which had remained untouched since he had joined ANBU ten years ago.

There was no point putting this off anymore. He hopped out of his window and headed across the rooftops. He finally came to the apartment building and he stopped in front of it, looking up. He had always known where the boys lived; the minute they had moved out of the orphanage Kakashi had made sure he knew where they had gone. He had still somehow managed to avoid actually going to the apartment. He had no idea how Minato-sensei’s sons lived.

He had been at least putting in the effort to be there while they had still been in the orphanage. The first four years of Rio’s life, while Kakashi had been away for most of it, he knew he at least managed to _help_ Naruto somewhat. He taught the kid to read, helped feed them, babysat Rio. It just seemed like the moment Naruto moved out and became a genin, he didn’t need Kakashi anymore. He didn’t need anyone more, especially since Kazuya moved in with him.

Kakashi didn’t want to let the kid down. If he didn’t try, he couldn’t fail. It was easy to back off and get absorbed into ANBU missions, but he couldn’t do that anymore. He would see them around the village and Naruto worked at the Desk. He would just have to face them and accept their rejection. He had essentially abandoned them; he wouldn’t blame them for feeling that way.

He climbed the steps until he reached the door with the sign ‘9A’. He shoved his hands in his pockets as he shuffled his feet in front of the door, building up the nerve to knock. The door suddenly opened up and he stared at the unimpressed boy in front of him.

Naruto had really grown since he’d last seen him. He now came up to Kakashi’s shoulder and his deep, red hair had grown to his shoulder blades. It was half-up today, with the red contrasting against his black t-shirt and his familiar brace. The scar on his face, while still prominent, was finally starting to fade in colour closer to his skin tone. His clear blue eyes bored into Kakashi’s own and he could almost see the thoughts swirling behind those eyes. He really was all grown up; it almost didn’t matter that he was only twelve. The way he held himself was beyond any of the genin his age around the village.

“Kakashi,” Naruto drawled. “What a surprise.”

Kakashi sweat-dropped.

“Maa, Naruto-kun,” he eye-smiled. “I just came to wish Rio a happy birthday.”

“He’s not here.”

Before Kakashi had a moment to process those words, Naruto had let go of the door and turned around.

“Come on in,” he called behind him. “Might as well see the place at least once.” 

Kakashi clenched his fists inside his pockets for a moment before he step through the threshold, toeing off his sandals in the doorway. He looked around the apartment and swallowed the hard lump that had formed in his throat.

It was small, at least for three growing boys. The kitchen was shoved into the corner to his left with a cluttered table just barely leaving enough room to move around the space. A couple of old couches were almost in the middle of the room, even as much as the boys as tried to shove them to the right side to surround a battered metal coffee table. Overflowing bookcases stuffed full of mismatching books and scrolls had been placed in each of the right corners and underlining the wide window of the back wall was a variety of plants of every shape and size. A couple of mismatched but colourful rugs were thrown on the floor and as Kakashi scanned the grey walls, pictures and diagrams and training programs were tacked up at random.

It was small, with barely any space to move around freely, but as Kakashi spotted the childish pictures hung on the fridge, he knew it didn’t matter to them. They had built a home here. It was cluttered and mismatched and full of the same love that Kakashi could remember filled Minato-sensei’s and Kushina-nee’s home. He had been right to avoid coming here; it already hurt.

Naruto was at the kitchen table, clearing up papers and muttering beneath his breath.

“Rio, Rio, Sasuke, Kiba, Rio, Sasuke, Kiba, Chouji? Why do we have Chouji’s homework? Is this Kaz’s list for the flower shop? He lost this two days ago. Idiot. Rio again, it’s like he forgets we need to eat on this table.”

He looked up at Kakashi.

“Well? Sit.”

He moved over to dump the pile of papers on the already messy coffee table. Kakashi sat slowly onto one of the chairs and watched Naruto make his way to his own chair opposite to him. An awkward silence descended on them and Kakashi avoided the boy’s gaze.

“So you came for Rio’s birthday?”

Kakashi forced himself to eye-smile.

“Yup. He’s nine today, right?”

“Yeah.” Naruto crossed his arms. “I’m surprised you know that, since you’ve missed the last three.”

Kakashi tried not to flinch.

“Maa, you know how it gets, Naruto. ANBU missions take me away from the village for a long time-”

“I’m not some bright-eyed little kid anymore, Kakashi.” Naruto was unimpressed. “You haven’t been there for us because of your missions, I get that, but you seem to forget that I can sense you when you’re in the village. You’ve been avoiding us more and more lately and spending way more time at the Memorial Stone.”

That was a factor that Kakashi had not considered. Naruto would have been able to tell when Kakashi was avoiding him; the dark pit of guilt in his gut only deepened. Naruto let out a heavy sigh and slumped in his chair.

“I’m not trying to make you miserable, Kakashi. I’m sure you do enough of that to yourself. I just want to be sure.”

“Sure of what?”

“Sure of you!” Naruto threw his hands up. “Why are you here today? What changed?”

“I-” Kakashi knew he owed the kid at least this. “I was discharged from ANBU today. I’m a regular jounin from today onwards.”

Naruto narrowed his eyes in thought and Kakashi’s breath caught in his throat; it was so similar to how Minato-sensei used to look when he was thinking something over.

“And?”

“And it means I’ll be in the village more. It means I can be here.”

“You could have been here before.”

Kakashi didn’t know how to reply to that. It was true; he could have made an effort to be here outside of his missions. Naruto let out another sigh and drew a hand down his face.

“Rio still adores you, you know? You’re his godfather; every time you visit he spends the next month talking about you.”

Kakashi looked back at him in surprise.

“But you can’t keep doing this; you can’t keep half-assing family.” Naruto gazed at him, his eyes like steel. “Don’t get me wrong, you helped us a lot in the first few years and you aren’t the worst person in our lives by far but I won’t let you hurt Rio. So either you’re in or you’re out. You either commit to being there for Rio or you break ties with him properly.”

Kakashi thought over his words. Naruto didn’t want to let him back in, not without knowing he was serious. Kakashi examined his own thoughts; while conflicted and guilty, the idea of cutting himself off completely from these boys was unimaginable.

“I’ll be here. I promise.”

“Look, Kakashi,” Naruto sighed. “I know Tou-san wanted us to be like brothers or something but that’s never going to happen.”

Kakashi’s stomach dropped.

“I don’t even feel like I’m younger than you! I’m now raising two kids, sometimes more when Rio brings his friends around. I have to keep up two jobs and make sure that not only I am put together, but everyone else is too! Kazuya is there but he has his own life to live. He never signed up to be a parent.”

“Neither did you,” Kakashi said quietly.

“I signed up the moment my parents died,” Naruto chuckled, but the sound was hollow. “I’ve always known and I accepted it a long time ago. I knew what I was signing up for when I told the Hokage to put Sasuke next door. These kids are my responsibility. End of story.”

Naruto looked up from where his gaze had dropped to the table.

“So I need to know if you are serious; because if you stay and then leave again, it’s going to hurt Rio and I can’t allow that if I can help it.”

“I will be here; maybe not every day, but I will be here.”

“Good.”

Naruto placed both hands on the table and stood.

“I know that we’ll never be close like Tou-san wanted or like Rio, but maybe we can be friends?” he offered a small grin.

Kakashi nodded, also moving to stand. He couldn’t exactly ask for more than that; it was more than enough that the kid- no, that Naruto was offering him this second chance in the first place. Going forward he just had to focus on being a good godfather to Rio. By the sounds of it, that would help Naruto more than anything. It wasn’t too late for Rio like it appeared to be for Naruto. He had to respect Naruto as a fellow adult and shinobi.

“Now, come on,” Naruto waved his hand. “The gang are all at Ichiraku. The ramen is going to get cold.”

* * *

Sasuke fiddled with his obi nervously. His mother had always tied it for him but he had never paid attention; now he wished he had actually listened to her when she used to teach him about formal wear. She had insisted it was a part of his duty as the Head’s son but he had hated wearing them. Now she was gone and he had to figure it out for himself.

“Hey, need some help there?”

Naruto smiled gently at him as he came over to the sofa from the kitchen.

“No,” Sasuke replied grumpily. “You aren’t even wearing a kimono.”

“Aha,” Naruto scratched the back of head sheepishly. “No, Kaz and I don’t have one but Rio has always worn one for the Rinne Festival.”

The redhead himself was for once wearing something other than that obnoxious orange jacket. His black trousers were still taped into his black shinobi sandals, but his brace was missing, his tattoos on full display. His black t-shirt was tucked in and an orange sash was tied around his waist, the tails hanging on one side to his knees. His hair was tied up in an intricate braid that had end in a low bun and Sasuke raised an eyebrow at the white flowers woven throughout the design. It was a very different look to the usually bright orange, chaotic boy that Sasuke had gotten to know.

“Come on, you know I can help.”

“Fine.”

Sasuke stood abruptly and held his arms out, biting his cheek. Naruto watched his face for a moment before moving to kneel, adjusting the obi. Sasuke had chosen a traditional navy Uchiha clan kimono with a white obi; the same style his father had worn the year before. He could clearly picture the Uchiha fan proudly displayed between his shoulder blades.

“You’re very brave to be going to this festival.”

“What?” Sasuke snapped.

“The first Rinne Festival after I lost my family, I didn’t go. I didn’t go to the second one either. I couldn’t face going without them, even if it is a time we are supposed to be honouring the dead. It was only when Rio got older that I started going ‘cause I didn’t want to deprive him of the experience.”

Sasuke mulled over his words for a moment, tasting blood in his mouth.

“Kaa-san was the one to always tie my obi for me.”

Naruto tied the final knot and smiled up at him, his eyes glassy.

“She’d be so proud of you.”

Their quiet moment was soon interrupted as Rio bounced out of his room.

“We’re gonna be late!”

“We are not going to be late,” Kazuya called back from the kitchen. “The sky lanterns won’t be lit for hours and I got the flowers in advance.”

“Come on, Kazu-nee!” Rio whined. “We’re all ready, let’s just go!”

Naruto playfully rolled his eyes at Sasuke as he stood and turned to his brother. He straightened out his green forest-inspired kimono and lightly whacked Rio on the head.

“We’ll go when I say we’ll go.”

“Ugh, Nii-san!”

Sasuke watched the scene and swallowed. His first Rinne Festival without his family; could he do this?

“Kazuya, do you have the candles?”

“Yeah, they’re by the door.”

“Rio, go get the flowers from the fridge.”

“Sasuke?”

Sasuke looked into soft blue eyes.

“You ready?”

Sasuke nodded quickly, not trusting himself to speak. He followed the group out the apartment and they were soon walking through the softly lit streets of Konoha. Sasuke used to love the Rinne Festival; right before New Years it was a time to exchange gifts and remember those who had passed on. Even in the middle of winter, his kimono had always been enough to keep him warm and with all the lanterns that lined the streets, it had made the village seem like a different world.

Now though, too many people had passed on. There were too many people to remember. Every person he saw walking by laughing was a reminder that everyone else had moved on; had forgotten what had happened to his family. An entire _clan_ was removed from Konoha overnight and not even five months later, no one cared anymore.

He didn’t pay attention to where Naruto was leading them. He stared at the ground so he didn’t have to see the villagers’ faces or the twinkling lights. This was a bad idea. He shouldn’t have come. He should have just stayed in his flat; he wasn’t ready for this. He just focused on putting one step in front of the other as he tried to keep the emotions from overwhelming him.

“Sasuke.”

He kept his blurry gaze firmly on the ground in front of him.

“Sasuke, we’re here.”

Confusion pierced through his grief for a moment as he stared up at Naruto. He finally looked around him to see they were stood in front of the Uchiha Clan gates. Words caught in his throat as he gaped at the sea of candles that were lit beneath the entranceway, the lights reflecting off the repaired clan flags. Candles of every colour flickered in front of his eyes and the sheer number of them made it impossible to get anywhere near the gates themselves. It looked like everyone in the village had left a candle here.

The village hadn’t forgotten; they hadn’t moved on. They had gone out of their way to light a candle on the Rinne Festival in memory of his clan. Movement at his side drew his gaze back to his companions. He watched in silence as Kazuya drew several candles out of a bag and started handing them out.

“We have several stops to make tonight but we decided that we should start here,” Naruto spoke up. “You needed to see this.”

Sasuke took the blue candle from Kazuya when he felt someone nudge his arm. Rio was holding out a bouquet of white lilies.

“It’s a tradition for us to leave white lilies for our families,” the other boy shrugged. “We brought one for you since you probably had enough to think about tonight.”

Sasuke slowly took the bouquet. He took a step forward and hesitated at the edge of the sea of candles; he bent over slightly to light his candle from the one of the others before changing course and walking a bit away and coming to a free section of wall. He knelt and placed the candle in front of the wall, the flowers just beside it. He got on his knees, tucking the kimono beneath him, and closed his eyes.

Faces of his clan flashed through his mind, ending on his parents. Even months later, the grief weighed heavily on him and the anger and confusion continued to build. Why had Itachi done this? Why did he feel like killing the clan was the only way to get power? Why had Sasuke been the only one to survive?

He clapped his hands twice and inhaled a deep breath, exhaling slowly as he sent his prayers skyward. He would find Itachi one day and make him explain himself. Right now he had to focus on getting stronger, on making sure that the Uchiha clan lived on, that he could one day repay Naruto for his support.

He finally opened his eyes and gazed up at the high walls of the compound. He hadn’t been near his family home since he had moved his stuff to his new apartment. He couldn’t quite shake the ghosts that lingered in the empty streets. He finally stood and made his way back to the others, not at peace but a little less lost than before.

“You ready to go?”

Sasuke nodded as he looked down at the three new additions to the collection of candles. He may never be able to sort through the mess of emotions born from that night but it did feel a tiny bit easier knowing he wasn’t completely alone. A large part of him fought against this feeling, insisting that as the last Uchiha he should be able to do this alone, but as he looked back at them the voice faded to the background.

His mother had trusted them; had helped them. They had given her a piece of her back to him. They had helped him with stuff that he wouldn’t have even know where to begin but had always given him a choice.

They weren’t his family, but they had somehow become important to him. And that, Sasuke thought as he followed them away from his clan compound, right now was enough.

* * *

Naruto frowned as he pulled out three boxes of tomatoes from the fridge.

“Sasuke, any particular reason you’re now stockpiling tomatoes in our fridge now?”

The culprit in question was sitting at the kitchen table with Rio; working on what Naruto could guess was maths homework. There wasn’t much else at the academy that involved that many numbers.

“Just in case.”

“I see...”

Naruto smiled to himself as he placed them on the counter. He continued taking things out the fridge, occasionally sniffing them to see if they were still in date. It was his turn to clean out the fridge and he had run out of excuses since the New Year’s Festival ended last week.

“Lay off, Naruto,” Kazuya called from his place on the sofa, sewing needle in hand. “If I recall, I found a stash of instant ramen not too long ago...”

Naruto whirled around, pointing a carrot at the brunet.

“Ramen is the food of the gods!”

“Ramen is a cholesterol and sodium nightmare!”

“You take that back, heathen!”

Their usual argument was interrupted by a knock at the door. Naruto held his position for a moment before he stomped over, throwing the carrot back towards the counter. He hauled the door open and blinked in surprise.

“Hana, Tsume-san.”

He heard vague scrambling behind him but his attention was captured by the bundle of fur in Hana’s arms.

“Well, are you going to invite us in or what?” Tsume grinned, her canines peeking out.

“Yeah, sorry, Tsume-san.”

Naruto stepped back and allowed the women in. He followed behind them and shrugged at Kazuya’s confused stare. Tsume-san stared down at Sasuke and Rio.

“Congrats brats for making it into your second year. I heard you were the top of your class Sasuke, and you helped drag Kiba through his history exam, Rio.”

“Thank you, Inuzuka-sama,” Sasuke replied quietly.

“Thanks, Tsume-obachan,” Rio grinned back.

“How many times, drop the ‘sama’, Uchiha,” Tsume rolled her eyes. “Anyway, we’re here on official clan business.”

Naruto stopped trying to silently extract information from Hana and stood to attention as Tsume turned to him. He felt Kazuya come to stand behind him. Hana stepped forward to stand beside her mother and the bundle of fur in her arms squirmed.

“You have been great friends to the Inuzuka clan for many years, Uzumaki. You have aided the heir to the clan with her studies and protected her after her graduation. Your youngest clan member was practically raised among us. It is for these reasons that we extend this physical representation of the alliance between our two clans.”

Naruto’s eyes widened. An alliance? That was a big deal. He knew that they were close to the Inuzuka, how could they not be, but an official alliance? This could change things; Rio would have so much more political protection in the future. When Naruto passed on, Rio would still have a clan to fall back on. The pressure wouldn’t totally be on Kazuya to watch out for their little brother. He bowed low.

“Thank you, Inuzuka-sama, for this trust you have extended to us. We would be honoured to form an alliance with you and know that you will always be able to count on the Uzumaki clan.”

Tsume looked amused.

“Been reading up on formal clan etiquette, huh? Likewise, brat, you have the Inuzuka clan behind you. Hana.”

Naruto looked over to his teammate as she held out her arms. Naruto carefully took the bundle out of her arms and stared wide-eyed down at his arms.

“She was born into one of our litters as the runt. Her chakra pathways were warped at birth so she can never be an Inuzuka dog as she can’t use chakra.”

A puppy stared back at him. Her fur was a soft peach colour, with the roots a creamy white and warming out to peach as the fur grew out. Her ears stuck up into triangles on top of her head and warm brown eyes looked curiously up at him. Her cheeks and chest were cream and her tail was curled onto their back. She was so soft and her fur was so thick; Naruto wasn’t sure he was ever going to let her go.

“We know that you can give her a good home and treat her with the love and respect she deserves,” Hana piped up, smiling.

Naruto smiled sadly down at the puppy.

“We will,” Kazuya nodded.

“What will you call her?” Tsume asked. “So I may tell her mother’s partner.”

“What about Momo?”

They all looked at Rio who had left the kitchen table to join them near the entrance. He was entranced by the sight of the puppy.

“You know,” he said, explaining further at their stares. “Cause of her fur.”

“That sounds perfect.”

Naruto grinned as Kazuya ruffled Rio’s hair. Rio gently patted Momo’s head and the puppy sniffed at the blond’s fingers. Naruto looked over to see Sasuke staring awkwardly and motioned with his head.

“Come meet the new family member.”

Sasuke rose hesitantly and made his way over. Naruto looked over to Tsume and nodded his head. Tsume nodded in response; the silent exchange missed by the other occupants of the room.

Momo would have gone unnoticed back at the Inuzuka compound; an Inuzuka dog with no chakra couldn’t be partnered up and couldn’t use techniques. She would have been left behind and clumped together as part of a whole. The Inuzuka’s looked after their dogs but here, Momo would get the individual love and attention she deserved.

He placed Momo into Rio’s arms; she would fit right in here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oiroke no Jutsu = Sexy Technique  
> Seitenkan = Gender Switch
> 
> (I literally just googled gender swap in Japanese and that's what came up, so if anyone has a more accurate name for the technique please let me know)


End file.
